


The Worm War

by LinkCat



Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-08-09 16:28:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 30
Words: 29,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16453373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinkCat/pseuds/LinkCat
Summary: A story depicting the lives of the trolls. There is evil among them. Will they survive what will come? Only time will tell.





	1. Biggie's Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all began with Biggie. A story of bullying and a little gray trolling.

When Biggie was still a trolling, he was bullied and often alone. He was unusually large for his age, and he was made fun of by mean trollings for being different. He was often found in his own little pod, sucking on his thumb. His parents worried about him, and hoped that one day he could make a friend. The bullying was so bad that he was gray, even at a young age.

One day, Biggie decided to hide away from everyone. At only ten, this was a bold move. Everyone was still worried that the Bergens would find them. He was more worried about being bullied, then being found by the enormous beasts. He hardly remembered them, because he was also very young when they escaped the Troll tree.

Branch was out collecting berries for his bunker, when he spot the young Troll sitting under a tree. He walked over and offered Biggie a berry. Biggie refused the delicious treat.

“Hey kid, it is not safe to be out here. It is dangerous.” Branch showed concern. Despite being very serious about survival, and hiding from the Bergens, he cared about all his family and friends.

“Why does it matter? They are just going to laugh at me and point. Why do I have to be born this way? It is not fair.” Biggie looked at Branch. Even at ten years old, he was the same size as Branch, and they sat eye to eye.

“It matters because you matter. Come, I will feed you lunch and help you back to your pod.” Branch offered as he stood up and offered his hand.

Biggie looked at him, and then got up, but instead of taking Branch’s hand, he ran way. He ran as fast as his legs would allow. He could hear Branch calling for him to come back, but he ignored him. There was no way he would go back. The other young Trolls were just too mean.

It wasn’t long until Biggie slipped and fell into a hidden hole. He screamed as he landed on a pile of leaves. He had heard that sometimes predators, like the Bergens, would set traps to catch trolls like this. He looked around, afraid that he may become a snack.

Instead, he saw another Troll. It was an older Troll, who had pale blue skin, red eyes, and fading green hair. The older Troll appeared to be friendly, which was a big relief for Biggie.


	2. An Evil Plot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Biggie found a friend. Or did he? The mysterious older troll is explained, and Biggie gets a gift and an evil plot is purposed.

“Well, what do I have here?” The older troll asked Biggie as he looked into his eyes. He could tell that the young troll was scared. He smiled in a friendly manner, but it was easy to see that it was forced.

“Sorry, I fell into your hiding spot. I will leave if you show me how.” Biggie avoided eye contact. He was told that strangers were not to be trusted. Not all trolls were safe to talk to, and some even worked with the Bergens in order to get protection from predators.

“What is the hurry young one? I am safe. My name is Jaxon.” The older Troll sat down on a stool and watched Biggie as he looked around.

“My name is Biggie.” Was all that Biggie said as he slowly began to relax and look around. This bunker was a lot like Branch’s bunker. It had a lot of survival tools and food. He could see that there was also potions and brews stashed away in the corner.

“Nice to meet you Biggie. May I ask you why you are gray?” Jaxon watched the young troll as he moved towards a door. A grin spread across his face. He had been expelled from the Troll Tree when he was a younger lad, and he had been trying hard to figure out how to get back at them. He thought perhaps Biggie could help him with his revenge.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Biggie looked at the door. He could see that there was something on the other side. A bright glow came from behind the door, and he was curious what could be emitting such a beautiful glow.

“That is ok. You don’t have to talk about it. Feel free to open that door.” Jaxon invited him to take a look at what was in the room. A plan brewed. He had been breeding worms with poisonous moths. His hope was to trick a young trolling, just like Biggie, into thinking they were pet worms so that he could poison his former pod members.

Biggie opened the door and peeked inside. There were five brightly colored worms. A smile spread across his face. He had always wanted a pet worm, but his parents wanted to wait until he was older to get him one, so he could take responsibility for his pet. He looked at each one. They were all very adorable and made cute little noises.

“They are so cute. Are they freshly hatched? They are so small.” Biggie asked Jaxon out of curiosity. He had seen worms before, but they were generally larger then these worms.

“Yes, they just hatched a few weeks ago. I raised them myself. Aren’t they cute?” Jaxon picked up a green worm with a yellow head, and pink stripes. He had blue lips and sparkling eyes. This particular baby worm was not poisonous. This is why Jaxon picked him up with his bare hands. “Would you like to hold one?”

“I would love to.” Biggie gently took the young worm and held him to his chest. “I wish I could have a worm. He is so cute.”

“You may have him. I needed to find homes for them anyway. A matter of fact, if you know anyone else who would like a pet worm, you let them know where I am at. OK?” Jaxon grinned at the eager trolling.

“You mean it? Thank you so much!” Biggie cradled the baby worm. “Your name is Mr. Dinkles. I love you already Mr. Dinkles.” He smiled when Mr. Dinkles made a cute mew sound.

“Yes, but you have to promise you will send your friends here to pick up the other four worms. It’s very important to me that they find a home.” Jaxon insisted. He was glad that Biggie had fell into his Bunker. This had saved him from having to find someone outside. He tried not to be seen by older trolls.

“Yes, of course. I promise to tell my friends. I am sure they would love to have a pet worm too.” Biggie reassured as he held his new pet close. Mr Dinkles relaxed his arm and began to doze off. He loved his new owner.

“Very good. Come this way. I will lead you out of here.” Jaxon got up and headed for another door. He began to lead him outside. They had to go through some tunnels, but soon they found the exit.

“Thank you, Jaxon. I will tell my friends right way and tell them where to find you.” Biggie’s gray tones began to turn blue. He felt much better.

“Make sure to hurry back with them.” Jaxon slowly closed the door, and headed back to his bunker. Once safely back inside, an evil laugh erupt from him.


	3. A Gathering Of Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Biggie gets home and tells all of his friends about the baby worms. He invites DJ Suki, Poppy, Creek, and a young trolling named Juniper. *Warning* There will be some suggested sex scenes in this chapter.

As Biggie got closer to camp, he came across Guy Diamond and Branch. Branch didn’t look amused, and gave Biggie a look of displeasure.

“Where were you? You could have been eaten by a Bergen!” Branch scolded Biggie. Biggie just smiled and held up his new pet worm.

“Easy Branch, he is unharmed, and it looks like he found a friend.” Guy Diamond chuckled and gave Mr. Dinkle’s a gentle scratch on the chin.

“His name is Mr. Dinkles.” Biggie avoided the question. Branch was too uptight and cautious to tell him about Jaxon and the other baby worms. He would never allow him and his friends to go back.

“Next time, don’t run off, ok? I don’t want to see you get eaten.” Branch shook his head and nudged Biggie towards his home. Now that he found Biggie, he wanted to go back to his bunker. He had plans with Guy Diamond.

“Ok Branch. Sorry for making you worry.” Biggie smiled at him, and then ran towards Poppy’s pod. He wanted to start gathering his friends right away.

“He looks much better. Looks like that worm made him happy.” Guy Diamond took Branch’s hand and smiled. They had been secretly meeting. They were only teenagers, at sixteen years old, and Guy Diamond didn’t want to get in trouble with his parents. Branch didn’t have any living parents or grandparents, but had learned at a young age how to take care of himself.

“I wonder where he got that worm. There is going to be an angry mother worm when she goes to feed him and sees he is not home.” Branch frowned, concerned for the safety of Biggie, and all of their troll friends and family.

“I’m sure it’s fine Branch. It was probably abandoned. There is nothing to worry about anyway. Worms are harmless.” Guy Diamond began to walk towards Branch’s bunker, practically dragging him along. He was eager for them to have some private time.

“I sure hope you are right.” Branch walked with Guy Diamond. They soon reached his bunker. He began the process of opening up his door. He had many barriers and traps to keep predators and trespassers away.

Once inside, he locked his door and led Guy Diamond to his bedroom. He began to undress and set his clothes down on a chair.

“I love you…” Guy Diamond hugged Branch from behind. He whispered into his ear. “You make my day shine. Every time I see you, I get this warm feeling inside. I wish we could be together all the time.”

Branch felt Guy Diamond’s arm wrap around his waist. He put his hands on top of Guy Diamond’s hands and let out a soft sigh. He loved the feeling of security that Guy Diamond gave him. “I love you too…” 

As Branch and Guy Diamond got busy in his bunker, Biggie approached Poppy’s pod. He gently touched a petal, and stepped back as it fell. She was home, and willing to have company. This was a good sign.

Poppy looked up and smiled when Biggie opened her pod. She was with Creek, and they were practicing dance moves for the next party. They were young dance partners, and had some very nice moves for ten year old. “Hello Biggie, what do you have there?” She came out of her pod and started to inspect the tiny worm that was sleeping in his arms.

“This is Mr. Dinkles. There are four more worms where he came from. We should get DJ and Juniper and go get them. I know they would love a worm too. Creek, there is one for you too.” Biggie smiled ear to ear. He loved Poppy, Creek, DJ Saki, and Juniper. They were his only friends in the entire troll village.

“Sounds like a fantastic idea Biggie. Lead the way.” Creek had followed Poppy out of her pod and set his hand gently on Mr. Dinkle’s cheek. He had a soft spot for worms, and would love to have one.

Biggie carefully climbed down from Poppy’s pod, and began to skip towards DJ Suki and Juniper’s pod. Juniper was DJ Suki’s little sister. They were eight and nine years old. Juniper looked a lot like DJ Suki. She had darker pink skin, and her hair was wavy with orange and pink shades. Her eyes were dark brown, and she had sparkling freckles, just like her sister. She was more girly then DJ Suki, and was always seen in a dress. Today she sported a blue dress with one daisy on the front.

Once at their pod, Biggie put his hand on a petal. This time, it did not go down. He gave the pod a gentle knock. “They must be doing homework.”

“You know how DJ loves to study about music.” Poppy giggled and also knocked on their pod.

After a few minutes, the petal fell down, and DJ Suki came out. Juniper followed her out and came over to inspect Biggie. DJ Suki spoke up first. “What is the deal Biggie? You were gray this morning.”

“He has a worm!” Juniper squealed with delight and began to jump up and down. Juniper loved worms and wanted badly to hold Mr. Dinkles. “He has a worm, he has a worm! He has a cute cute worm!” She sang with delight.

“His name is Mr. Dinkles. I know where you can both get a worm. Just follow me.” Biggie began to led them back to Jaxon’s bunker.


	4. Baby Worms Go Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Biggie leads Poppy, Creek, DJ Suki, and Juniper to Jaxon's bunker. They each pick out a worm, and go home to settle their new pets into their new homes.

Biggie led his friends to Jaxon’s bunker, and knocked on his door. Juniper was so excited, that she was dancing circles around Biggie. She was going to get her very own worm! DJ Suki was ignoring her sister’s antics and was listening to music on her head phones. Creek and Poppy were talking about what gender worm they would take home. Poppy had decided on a boy, and Creek was going to take a girl home.

Jaxon had been making preparations with the baby worms while Biggie was gone. He had given them each a shot to reverse their poison. It was a temporary fix. He wanted the worms to be with the young trollings long enough so that he didn’t become an obvious suspect, and so that the trolls didn’t figure out right away that it was the worms that were making everyone sick.

When he heard Biggie’s knock on the door, he got up and went to answer the door. “Ah, Biggie, nice to see you back so soon. Are these youngin’s your friends? Do they want a pet worm too?” He smiled at them all.

“Me! Me! Me!” Juniper crawled between Jaxon’s legs and then ran over to the basket of glowing baby worms. She immediately picked up a blue worm. A little boy with green stripes, a pink head, and yellow lips. “You are Jelly Bean!”

Jaxon laughed, amused at the excitement of the young trolling. He motioned the other four in, and walked over to the basket. “I think he likes you.”

Poppy walked over to the basket and looked at the worms. It was pretty easy to tell which ones were boys and which were girls. The girls had softer glow tones and had lashes above their eyes. She picked up a pink male, who had blue stripes, a green head, and yellow lips. “I am going to name you Sparky.”

Creek walked over. Sure enough there were two girl worms left. He picked up a yellow one with green stripes, pink head, and blue lips. “Hello pretty girl. I think I will call you Cupcake.”

DJ walked over and picked up the last worm. It was blue with pink strips, yellow head, and green lips. “You are cute. I think I am going to call you Buttercup.”

Biggie grinned and danced with Mr. Dinkles in his hands. “Thank you so much Jaxon!” He was very excited to have a pet worm.

Poppy, Creek, DJ Suki, and Juniper each thanked Jaxon for their worms as well. All five trollings then headed out the door. They all headed home to show their parents their new pets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is so short, but chapter 5 is also coming today as well. You will see why I did not combine them.


	5. Branch Has A Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks have gone by since the trollings had brought the worms home. No one in their homes had got sick yet, which was Jaxon's plan. In that time frame, someone else had become sick instead; Branch. His problems are explained, and some tension builds between him and Guy Diamond.

Branch had not been feeling well. He had been having secret meetings with Guy Diamond for a few months now, and it appeared he had managed to come with pod in that time frame. Most likely early on in their relationship. He had not let Guy Diamond see him the last few days. Teenage pregnancy was frowned upon, and he did not want either of them to get in trouble.

Branch brushed his hand against his rounding stomach. He had thought at first that he was just gaining weight, but the kickings of a developing trolling and a on and off stomach bug had told him that he was with child.

“What am I going to do with you? No one will be thrilled that your daddy and I have been busy. I’m going to have to find a way to hide you until I can get you to an older Troll.” Branch sighed and put on his clothes.

Morning sickness had become bad enough on this particular day that Branch decided to risk coming out of his bunker. He put on his hoodie to hide his small baby bump and left. He was on the search for mint to relieve his stomach, and to grab some blueberries to snack on. He had been craving them for the last couple of months.

Guy Diamond saw him right away and ran over to him. “Why have you not answered the door when I have knocked? I was worried about you.”

“I have a stomach bug. Didn’t want to make you sick. Better keep your distance or you might catch it too.” Branch lied to try and cover it up. Even though the baby was Guy Diamond’s, he didn’t want him to know. The less everyone knew, the better off this was going to be for them and the whole village.

“You are sick? I can help you find medicine.” Guy Diamond offered. “We are partners, remember? We handle sickness together. You don’t have to be alone while sick anymore.”

“No, really you do not want to catch this. It is awful. I don’t want you to feel like this.” Branch walked away from Guy Diamond. He just wanted to find the mint and blueberries, and get back to his bunker.

“Branch?” Guy Diamond watched him walk away. It was not unusual for Branch to try and handle things like this on his own, but since they were soul mates, he felt it was necessary and considerate to help him. “I want to help...”

“I don’t want help! Go away!” Branch snapped angrily, before inspecting and picking a few mint leaves from a mint stalk. He then walked over and grabbed a couple of blueberries from the local blueberry bush. “These will make a good tea to help settle my stomach.” He whispered to himself.

Guy Diamond followed him anyway, and helped him gather extras of what he was picking. He wasn’t sure what was going on with Branch, but he wasn’t going to push it. Pushing it with Branch never ended well for anyone involved.

“I said go away.” Branch grumbled as he stuffed the herbs and berries into his hoodie pouch to further hide his baby bump. He really did not want Guy Diamond to see that he was getting rounder.

“I am keeping my distance.” Guy Diamond reassured. “Why are you so cranky? I haven’t seen you this cranky since Poppy tried to play leap frog with you.” He recalled when they were a couple years younger, and Branch had been picking up an injured beetle to help him. Poppy had jumped over him and yelled out ‘leap frog’ which really made Branch angry because he had fell forward and further injured the poor beetle.

“I don’t feel good, OK? I am going back to my bunker.” Branch headed back. He was not amused, and a little angry that Guy Diamond was not listening to him.

“Do you need anything else? I can leave food by your door? Perhaps some hazelnuts? I know you love those...” Guy wanted to help. He cared deeply for Branch and did not like seeing him like this.

Branch stopped at the mention of hazelnuts. He had thrown those up the night before, and they definitely didn’t sound good. “What part of ‘go away’ are you not understanding? I want to be a...” He wasn’t able to finish his sentence, before he began to lose his breakfast on the ground.

Guy Diamond walked over and rubbed Branch’s back gently. “We should get you looked at...” He had seen Branch get sick a lot recently, but it was becoming more concerning now. He was obviously not getting over this ‘bug’.

Branch shrugged him off and wiped his mouth when he finished. “I told you I was sick. I will be fine. Now go!” He walked to his bunker, opened it, and then slammed the door before Guy Diamond could follow him in.

Guy Diamond stood by Branch’s door, set the berries and mint down, and placed his hand on the door frame. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he would listen, for now. “Ok Branch, I will see you later.” He sighed and walked towards Troll Village, feeling a deep feeling of fear that their relationship was not working out.


	6. A Whole Village Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Troll village falls ill, and the only troll that can help has been hiding.

After the fight with Branch and Guy Diamond, a few more weeks went by without any issues. Then, it seemed overnight that DJ Suki had started to feel extremely ill. She was running a high fever and had been hallucinating. Her parents wrapped her in a blanket and had her tucked in bed. Buttercup was snuggled up beside her. They didn’t realize it yet, but the young worm was expelling poisonous spores. These spores were not airborne, but spread similar to an illness. They were spread by contact. The spores really attached to clothing.

When DJ’s mom also fell ill, the next day, and the concerns over their family began to grow. Juniper was the next to become sick. She ran an even higher fever, and her father feared she may die. He began to search for help, but didn’t realize that he carried the spores on his own clothes. By the end of the day, he too was sick, and so was everyone he had seen. He was not able to find anyone to help.

Over the next few days, several other trolls began to get sick, especially Poppy and Creek. It was getting so bad that King Peppy ordered mandatory isolation so that this mysterious illness would not spread further. He too was also sick, and had not figured out that their new pet worm was the cause. 

So far only one Troll had died from the fever. An older Troll who was nearing the end of her life. No one in her family even felt that good, and her funeral was short. She was quickly buried to help prevent the spread of illness.

The only trolls that seemed not to be sick from this mystery illness were the glitter trolls. They gathered to have a meeting and discussed how they would fight this illness, before any more lives were lost. Guy Diamond was there, and had gathered with his mother, father, sister, three uncles, and two aunts.

“Has anyone talked to Branch lately?” The gold glitter troll asked. She looked over at Guy Diamond. She was his mother, and had seen him sneaking off to see Branch often.

Guy Diamond crossed his arms. He looked away and grumbled. “He hasn’t been up for company lately. I don’t have a clue what he is doing or if he is even sick.” He was still feeling very sour about the fight they had weeks earlier.

“Well we need his help. He knows more about medicine than any other Troll in our village.” She explained with a concerned look on her face. “We need you to go talk to him. He will be more likely to talk to you then he will talk to me.”

“I can see if I can talk him out of his bunker, but he has been stubborn lately.” Guy Diamond sighed and got up and headed for Branch’s bunker. He knew about a secret entrance, but was only told to use this entrance during emergencies. He considered this an emergency.

As he got closer to the bunker, Guy Diamond uncovered a secret entry way, which was covered by leaves. He opened the door and carefully entered the hole. There was a beast trap right below it. He managed to avoid it, but had set it off. He walked towards another door and began unlocking it.

Branch woke up, hearing the sounds of his hidden door being opened. He scrambled to get dressed. He then ran to the door and began to block it. “Whoever you are, go away!” He definitely did not want to be seen.

“Don’t worry Branch, it is me. There is an emergency. The whole village is sick.” Guy Diamond pried the door open and then squeezed inside. He looked at Branch and crossed his arms. “We need your help and I don’t want to hear the word ‘no’ come out of your mouth. There are lives at stack here.”

Branch moved when Guy Diamond over powered him with the door. He turned his back so Guy Diamond didn’t see his belly. “I will prepare medicine. Tell me their symptoms.”

“Why won’t you look at me?!” Guy Diamond got in front of Branch and took his hand in an attempt to get his attention. This is when he noticed how swollen Branch was in the belly region. His mouth gapped open. He never gave pregnancy a thought, and was completely surprised.

Branch winced and looked away. He was afraid this would happen. “Guess I should tell you now that you obviously see it. I am with pod. I have been avoiding you to protect you. We are in so much trouble.”

Guy smiled and gently placed his hand on Branch’s belly. “We made this little treasure together. We will make it work.” He reaches over and kissed Branch. “I have missed you...”

Branch kisses him back and sighed in relief. “I missed you too. I am so sorry for being so cranky. I was afraid.”

“It is ok. I understand now. But right now, the village needs you. We can work together and make medicine to help them.” Guy Diamond hugged Branch to him and held him. He was so glad that it was this and not Branch wanting to break up.

“You still need to tell me their symptoms.” Branch rested his head on Guy’s shoulder. It had been some time since they were this close. He missed how comforting it was.

“Fever, hallucinations, confusion, fatigue, coma, and one has died. Glitter trolls like myself don’t seem affected.” Guy let Branch go and frowned. “It is bad. The trollings seem the most affected and they are not getting better. It had been almost a week since the first one, DJ Suki, got sick. She is still violently ill.

Branch sat down in his chair and began to think. These symptoms seemed severe and dangerous. He needed to find a cure quickly. “Have any glitter trolls tried glitter infusions with the sick? With you all being immune, this may give the sick relief.”

“No, we have not tried that. King Peppy has ordered isolation. We risk spreading it further. I am risking you by coming to ask for help.” Guy Diamond frowned and rubbed his left arm nervously. He was even more worried knowing that Branch was with pod.

“Test it. I would start with the sickest troll. It will prove if it works or not.” Branch looked at Guy Diamond. “And do not tell anyone about my current state. We do not need added stress and drama.”

“And if you get sick too?” Guy Diamond hesitated. He didn’t want to lose him or their baby.

“I have my herbs. I will be fine. Now please go. There is no time to lose.” Branch led him to the door.

“I will be right back, I promise…” Guy Diamond walked out the door and headed back to Troll Village.


	7. Guy Diamond's Dilemma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guy Diamond went to help the village, but things do not go according to plan.

Guy Diamond soon reached Troll Village and explained the plans to the rest of the glitter trolls. He volunteered to be the first donator. He would go to Juniper’s home and give her some of his glitter since she was the sickest troll in the village. 

When Guy Diamond reached her home, he began to give Juniper a glitter transfusion. When he was done, he became especially dizzy. It was the first time in his life that he ever felt this light headed. He put his hand on his head and braced himself on the wall.

Guy didn’t stick around long enough to find out if the glitter transfusion worked. He began heading back to Branch. He had promised he would be right back, and he was a troll of his words.

Once at the bunker door, he knocked on it a few times, and then fell to his knees. He was having a hard time staying conscious. His last thoughts before passing out were, “What is wrong with me?” Before he slid down the side of the door and face planted onto the ground.

Branch had heard the knock on the door, and got dressed. He unlocked the door and peeked out. He was surprised to find Guy Diamond face planted on the ground. He opened the door and rolled him onto his back. “Are you OK?” He looked very worried as he looked around. What would have caused Guy Diamond to faint?

When he got no answers from Guy Diamond, Branch carefully picked him up and carried him inside. He set him on his bed and began to check him over. “Did you get sick too?” Branch checked for a fever, but did not find one.

Guy Diamond began to stir. He cracked his eyes open and groaned. He didn’t feel right. “What happened?”

“You fainted. What’s going on? I’ve never seen you do that before.” Branch checked him over further, but didn’t see anything obvious. “Are you having any of those symptoms you told me about?”

“I’m not sure what is going on. I feel fatigued and dizzy. I was fine until I gave some of my glitter.” Guy Diamond rubbed his eyes and looked at Branch. “Do you think I caught it?”

“You might have. Hold on, I will go brew up some medicine.” Branch left his bedroom, and went towards his laboratory. He went through his herbs and berries, and decided to try some fever reducers and energy boosters. He also threw in some antibiotic, antitoxin, and antiviral herbs into the tea. He stirred it and then headed back.

Guy Diamond laid on his side and watched the door to Branch’s bedroom. He still felt very dizzy, and was afraid to sit up. He didn’t want to faint again. He hugged into a pillow and smiled when Branch came in. “That was fast…”

“I’m worried about you. We need you to feel better.” Branch walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He helped Guy Diamond sit up, then took a spoon and began to give Guy Diamond the tea.

Guy Diamond’s eyes widen. The flavors were stronger then he expected. He swallowed hard and then coughed. “What did you put in that?”

“It’s medicine, and you need to feel better, so drink up.” Branch looked serious, but he was concerned. He wasn’t going to risk losing Guy Diamond. He didn’t like that someone had already died from this mysterious illness.

“Ok, ok, I will finish it.” Guy diamond sighed and drank the rest as fast as he could so he didn’t have to taste it anymore. He then rested again on his side. “Thank you Branch…”

“You are welcome. Now get some sleep. We will talk about how we will help the village after your nap.” Branch crawled into the bed and spooned Guy Diamond. He wasn’t going to leave him, unless it was absolutely necessary.

As they both drifted off to sleep, a mysterious figure entered Troll Village. It was Jaxon. He had more worms. He began setting them by doors. He left a total of ten more worms. He then sneaked off again, a huge smirk on his face. He could smell the undeniable scent of the dead and dying. Everything was coming along according to plan.


	8. Caught Poison Handed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaxon thinks he got away with Murder, but little does he know, he has been spotted.

As Jaxon left worms on door steps, he was spotted by another troll. It was Sparkle Ruby, Guy Diamond’s older sister. She hurried to tell her mother, Mama Goldie, and then packed a back pack with a knife and medicine. She then ran to catch up with Jaxon.

As he was leaving, Sparkle Ruby finally caught up. She got behind him and pulled out the knife. “Who are you and what do you think you are doing?”

Jaxon turned to see the red glitter troll. He looked her in the eyes and frowned. “I am doing what should have been done years ago. Your king banished me for experimenting on poison moths and pet worms. He thought I was nuts. Well who is laughing now. I am.” He smirked and laughed at her.

Sparkle Ruby clenched her knife and growled at him. “You are not going to get away with this!”

“Oh? And what are you going to do about it? You are just as soft as the rest of them, and probably just as sick. I’m not scared of you.” Jaxon pulled out his own knife, just as a precaution if she was to attack.

“For someone who is not afraid, you sure are preparing yourself. What did you do to those worms? Are they why everyone is sick? Tell me and I will let you live!” Sparkle Ruby glanced around to make sure Jaxon didn’t have anyone protecting him. She was alone, and the Troll Village needed her.

Jaxon laughed and charged the young troll. He went to stab her, but she was faster. She side rolled and got up. She had been practicing fighting techniques with her father, and was a master of protection. He was messing with the wrong troll.

“We don’t have to fight. Just tell me what you did, and I will let you live!” Sparkle Ruby held her knife and got ready for him to charge again. “This is your last warning!”

Jaxon turned and charged Sparkle Ruby again, and this time he stabbed her in the arm. A scream of agony echoed through the forest as he pulled the knife out of her arm. Sparkling glitter began to drip from her arm. She glared at him and took her own knife, and stabbed him in the stomach.

Jaxon gasped in pain and backed up. He pulled her knife out of his stomach and dropped it to the ground. Dull, black glitter dripped from his stomach wound. It was a sign that an evil darkness consumed him. “Stupid girl!” He grasped his knife and charged her again.

Sparkle Ruby was still moving much faster then him. She went around and grabbed her knife again. She then jumped on his back and growled. “I gave you a fair warning. Now you are going to die!” She had her legs wrapped around his chest as she raised her knife and struck down as hard as she could into his head, giving him a fatal wound.

Jaxon fell to the ground, and gasped for air. “Hope you all die…” Was his final words as darkness consumed him, and his body disappeared.

Sparkle Ruby watched Jaxon take his last breath, and then stood up and put her knife away. She then pulled out a cloth and carefully tied it around the wound on her arm. It was a deep wound, and she was losing a lot of glitter. “Branch…” She got up and ran towards his bunker.

As soon as she got to Branch’s bunker, she knocked on the door. “Help me Branch!” She looked around for another way in. She knew Branch locked his front door, but there was another secret entrance for emergencies. She was trying to remember where it was at.

Branch heard a knock on the door and sat up. He got out of bed and went to the entrance. “Whoever you are, go away!” He was in no mood for company and he didn’t want Guy Diamond’s nap disturbed.

“I need your help Branch, I am bleeding to death!” Sparkle Ruby hurried over to his door and knocked. “Please!”

Branch groaned and began opening his door. He really didn’t want Ruby to come in, but he wasn’t going to let her die either. He got the door open and then ran towards his room to grab supplies. In an attempt to hide his stomach, he threw his hoodie on while grabbing what he needed to help her.

Sparkle Ruby came in and sat down near the entrance. She held her bleeding left arm and waited for him to return. She knew she had a better chance of survival now that she was in Branch’s bunker.

Branch returned and uncovered her arm. He frowned, seeing it was a knife wound. “This is very deep. How did you get this?” He had her put pressure on her wound while he got a needle and thread ready.

“I think I know why the other trolls are sick. There was an elder troll who came and set pet worms at doors. He was acting suspicious, so I followed him. He mentioned poison moths. I asked him what he did, but he attacked me. I killed him.” Sparkle Ruby watched him thread the needle.

“So, you think an elder troll made the other trolls sick? A poison moth? This is not good. We are going to have to work hard to save the village.” Branch began to stitch Sparkle Ruby’s wound closed. “Do you know what worm thistle, and chew jasmine is? We are going to need a lot of it. I do not have enough to help the whole village.”

“Yes, I know what it is. You are coming to help me, right?” Sparkle Ruby winced as he closed her wound. It stung more then she expected.

“We are going to need all the help we can get, but I need to stay here and make the medicine. Are you going to be ok to walk?” Branch offered his hand to help her up. 

Sparkle Ruby stood up with his help, but stumbled forward as she stood. She had lost quite a bit of glitter blood, and was a little unsteady on her feet. Branch steadied her, but she had managed to feel his belly when she had stumbled forward. She glared at him, and then lift his hoodie up. She saw that he was with Pod. “What is going on here?” She asked firmly. Her voice was dry and angry.

Branch winced and covered his belly back up. “I’ll explain later. Right now, the village needs us to work together. Please don’t tell anyone…”

“You have a lot of explaining to do.” Sparkle Ruby grumbled before opening the door. “And I am not good at keeping secrets.” She slammed the door and headed for Troll Village.


	9. Distractions Do Not Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch's unexpected pregnancy causes a delay in getting everyone taken care of.

Branch put his hand in his face and groaned. This was not going to help, and was not going to go over well. He headed back to his laboratory. The biggest thing he needed to do right now was focus on making medicine to help the village. He knew that the chances everyone would die was fairly slim, but he needed to get the medicine to everyone before the weaker and younger trolls got worse.

Sparkle Ruby was a little slow to get home, but when she did, she looked for her mom. Mama Goldie was put in charge when King Peppy became too sick to keep in charge of the village. She told her about what happened with Jaxon, and then told her about Branch.

Mama Goldie looked up when Sparkle Ruby told her that Branch was with Pod. She looked angry. “Where is Guy Diamond?” She got up and checked his bedroom. She had caught him more then once trying to sneak off to talk to Branch. She had a suspicion that he was going over there for more than to hang out.

“Last time I saw him, he was on his way over to help Juniper. I would go check, but I feel weak from glitter loss.” Sparkle Ruby sat down in a chair and hugged into a pillow. She needed rest.

“I will go check.” Mama Goldie headed out of the family pod and headed towards DJ Suki and Juniper’s pod. 

Once she arrived, she entered the pod and looked at Juniper. The glitter transfusion did help, and the young trolling did look much better. She was still weak, but was able to sit up when Mama Goldie came in. She looked around, hoping to find her son, but he was no where to be found. “Feel better soon little one. I will be back to talk to you.”

Mama Goldie left the pod, and started walking towards Branch’s bunker. She gave a firm knock on the door. “Branch, I need to talk to you. Now!”

Branch looked up when he heard a knock on the door. He heard Mama Goldie and slumped his shoulders. There was no time for this, and he was busy. He quickly finished this batch of medicine, and came back to the door. He opened it and offered the medicine to Mama Goldie.

“What is going on? I just got done talking to Sparkle Ruby, and she told me you are with pod. Who got you pregnant?” Goldie crossed her arms. She was pretty sure she knew the answer, and was less than thrilled at the idea of becoming a grandmother with her young son.

“There is no time for this. We need to get the medicine to the village before the young and weak start to die.” Branch insisted. He got that he was in trouble, but this was not a good time for punishment. This was time to help those in need.

“Answer me Branch!” Mama Goldie tapped her foot on the ground and glared at him. She was one ticked off mama.

All the commotion, and the sound of his mom’s voice woke Guy Diamond up. He slipped out of the bedroom and walked over to the door. He stood by Branch and rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Answer what mom?” He yawned and looked up at her. He frowned, noticing she was angry.

“Who got Branch pregnant?!” Mama Goldie put her hands on her hips and looked at her son. She was hoping they would answer her without her suggesting that they were getting busy with each other.

Branch looked down and shook his head. He wasn’t going to answer. Guy Diamond was the one to speak up. “It was me mom. I got him pregnant. I intend on taking full responsibility for our baby. I am sorry that this happened when we are both young, but we are both responsible, and will do what is best for our baby.

Mama Goldie couldn’t help but smile a little. That was the answer she was hoping for. She then put her hand out. “Give me the medicine please. We have a village to save.” She glanced at Guy Diamond and raised a brow. “You both need to eat better. Branch is not the only one expecting.

Branch sighed in relief, and then handed over the medicine. “Glitter transfusions will probably still help, but the medicine will be best to help the sick.” He looked up, but still looked a little worried. “And I agree. We will take good care of our baby.” After he said that, it hit him. Guy Diamond was with pod too? “Well that explained why he fainted.” He smiled and gave Guy Diamond a big hug.

Mama Goldie began to head back to the village, but unfortunately the side tour had ended with the life of a few of the sicker elder trolls.


	10. Sibling Rivalry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mama Goldie helps the village, while Sparkle Ruby pays Branch’s bunker another visit.

Mama Goldie began the process of helping the village, with the help of her family. It was a long process, since there was a lot of trolls to tend to, and there were more regular trolls then there were glitter trolls. They gave glitter and medicine to the sickest first, and began the process of burying the dead elders so that they would not smell. There was a lot of work to do.

After a short nap, Sparkle Ruby headed back to Branch’s bunker. She had told Mama Goldie she was going to get medicine but there was another reason she went back. She knocked on the door and waited for an answer. 

Guy Diamond and Branch were working together to brew up the rest of the medicine before they went to collect herbs. There were not enough herbs in his bunker.

When Branch heard the knock on his door, he walked to it and began unlocking it. He opened it up to find Sparkle Ruby. He backed up and frowned. “Sparkle Ruby...”

“I am not as easy going as my mom. You need to explain what is going on! Teenagers go to dances and sing. Not get pregnant! Who?!” Mama Goldie hadn’t said who got Branch pregnant. She was very jealous.

“Umm...” Branch headed for his laboratory. He was not going to mess with a ticked off Sparkle Ruby.

“Get back here!” Sparkle Ruby followed him. She was not amused. “Why are you avoiding me?!”

“Ahh!” Branch got into his laboratory and closed the door. He locked it and looked over at Guy Diamond. “Your sister is crazy...”

Guy Diamond looked over and frowned, hearing his sister yelling. He walked over when Branch came in and hugged him. “She is not as scary as she appears.”

“Do I hear my brother in there?! What are you two doing?! Answer me!” Sparkle Ruby pounded on the door and growled. “Open this door!”

“We are making medicine sis.” Guy Diamond said calmly. He didn’t seem fazed by his sister’s rage.

“I think you are making more than medicine in there!” Sparkle Ruby growled and gave the door one more good pounding. “I am going to whip your butt when you come out Guy!”

Branch looked at the door and then at Guy Diamond. He wasn’t sure how to react. He had never seen her like that. Normally she was very sweet to him. “Erm, Sparkle Ruby you may want to take it easy. You don’t want your stitches to rip.”

Guy Diamond walked back over to his work and went back to making the medicine. He wasn’t scared of his sister.

Sparkle Ruby grumbled and sat in front of the door. She decided to rest and wait. She had her arms crossed and looked pissed. After sitting there for a few minutes, she felt her arm was getting wet. She reached over and felt her arm. Branch was right about taking it easy, but his warning came a little late. She turned and knocked with her good arm. “Branch, please help me. My stitches ripped…”

Branch sighed and grabbed his fabric, thread, and needle. He came out and put pressure on her wound. “You need to take it easy.”

Sparkle Ruby slugged him in the arm and growled half-heartedly. “Easy for you to say. You get what you want, and I get nothing.” She avoided eye contact. She had had high hopes of being with him when he was older, and she had been responsible and waited since he was underage.

Branch looked at her and then towards Guy Diamond. “Are you jealous?” He sat down by her and began resewing her arm wound.

“Of course not!” Sparkle Ruby lied. She didn’t want to admit that she had a crush on Branch since they were kids. They had learned a lot of things together, and she had fallen for him.

“There are a lot of great trolls. It’ll be ok.” Branch soon finished and gave her a gentle hug.

Sparkle Ruby pushed him off and turned her back to him. She wasn’t in the mood for consolations. Especially for him.

Guy Diamond came out and sat with them. He offered his sister some pain killers, but she refused and gave his hair a tug. He rubbed his head and sighed. “I love you too.”

“I don’t want your medicine. Save it for the sick.” Sparkle Ruby sighed and looked towards the door. She got up and headed for it.

“Take it easy Sparkle Ruby.” Branch stood and followed her to the door. He frowned when she once again slammed it in his face. “Well that went over well…”


	11. More Herbs Needed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch and Guy Diamond begin the dangerous search for herbs to help save Troll Village.

Sparkle Ruby had begun to walk back to Troll Village, but then she realized she hadn’t picked up the medicine. She groaned and headed back. She slowly approached the bunker and kicked a few leaves around. She really didn’t want to talk to them again, but she wanted to help the village. They needed her since she wasn’t able to help with the glitter transfusions.

She gave a heavy sigh and knocked on the door. “Branch, I need the medicine.” She shifted and waited for him to answer the door.

Branch cracked the door open. “Promise not to kill us?” He could see that she was still very angry.

“That is not funny Branch. I came back to get the medicine.” Sparkle Ruby grumbled and waited for him to hand it over. “I wouldn’t kill you or my brother…”

“We are almost done. If you promise to be nice I will let you in.” Branch opened the door anyway and got ready to be tackled like when they were kids.

Sparkle Ruby tackled him to the ground and sat on him. “I do not make promises.” She grinned and looked at him when he glared at her. She hadn’t done that to him in a long time, and it kind of felt good.

“Darn you Ruby, I am with pod and you are injured! That was not a good idea!” Branch shoved her off and went back into his laboratory. He slammed the door behind him.

Sparkle Ruby rolled her eyes and sat down by the laboratory door. She could hear them talking in there, and could hear that Guy Diamond was concerned about the baby. She shook her head and grumbled, knowing that the baby would be just fine. She didn’t aim that low.

Once they were done, both Branch and Guy Diamond came out and gave her what they made in a backpack.

“We need to get more herbs. This should get most of the town though.” Branch reassured before helping Sparkle Ruby up. “Don’t you tackle me again, OK?” He looked serious. He could feel the little one kicking, so he knew he or she was fine, but it had scared him and Guy Diamond.

Guy Diamond handed his sister some energy eclairs. “This is for you and our family. It will help.” He gave her a look of disapproval, although it was hard to make a mad face towards her. He loved her too much to really ever be mad at her.

Sparkle Ruby nodded and then headed out. She headed for Troll Village.

“She is crazy.” Branch looked at Guy Diamond and took his hand. “Let’s go find the herbs we need to help the village.”

“I know she is protective. She is also very jealous. I am surprised she tackled you. Are you sure the baby is ok?” Guy Diamond put his hand on Branch’s belly and smiled when he felt the baby kick.

“Our baby is fine. She just scared the crap out of me though. The last thing we need is for either of us down when we both know how to make the medicine to save the village. What if the baby decided to be born early? It wouldn’t have been good.” Branch grumbled and began to search for the herbs that he needed. “And she could have ripped her stitches again. She’s going to end up losing too much glitter.”

“Yeah, I don’t want her to do that. We need her help. We could us all the help we can get.” Guy Diamond found some herbs and began to pick them.

Branch grew quiet and looked around. It was quiet. A little too quiet. He grabbed his knife and got next to Guy Diamond. “Shh…”

Guy Diamond looked around too and hugged the herbs to himself. He wasn’t sure what had spooked Branch, but he had his own pod to protect. “What is it Branch?”

“Shh…” Branch looked to the right, and then to the left. He saw a spider and clenched onto the knife. “Get back you beast!” He backed away, and began directing Guy Diamond the right direction to safety. The spider didn’t follow, but a rumble was heard behind them. He turned and went to stab the creature that was behind them, but saw it was a huge furry beast. He grabbed Guy Diamond’s arm and screamed as he ran towards his bunker. He pushed open his secret entrance and jumped down. He made sure to help Guy Diamond down as well. That had been way too close.

“Well now what?” Guy Diamond frowned and looked down at the herbs. He hadn’t collected much.


	12. Working As A Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch and Guy Diamond get some help to find the herbs. The status of Biggie and Mr. Dinkles is also found out.

After dropping the medicine off, Sparkle Ruby began to gather trolls that felt better. She may have been mad at Guy Diamond and Branch, but she was going to help. After she gathered five, including Biggie, she headed towards Branch’s bunker. 

Mr. Dinkles was tucked in Biggie’s arms. Sparkle Ruby had tried to kill him, but after a lot of begging and pointing out that his pet hadn’t made him as sick as the others, she decided that it was ok, for now. She was going to have Branch look at Mr. Dinkles and make sure he was safe.

Branch was sitting near his emergency entrance. He was trying to think of how to get out safely. He could still hear the beast. He rubbed his belly gently and looked at Guy Diamond. He could usually handle things like this, but he was starting to get very tired.

“I bet it is hungry.” Guy Diamond looked worried. What were they going to do to help? He noticed Branch was starting to feel wary. He grabbed an energy elixir and offered it to Branch to drink.

Branch refused the elixir. “I’m not sure if it’s safe for a troll with pod to drink that. I’m alright. I just need to rest for a minute and think.

As Sparkle Ruby approached Branch’s bunker, she saw the beast. She growled and stretched her hair, whacking the beast on the rear. The beast ran after her. She ran as fast as she could so that the beast would go away from the bunker. When she passed a low branch, she reached her hair up and grabbed the branch. She then hid in a hollow in the tree.

The five trolls that were with her scattered and blend in with the surrounding forest. Luckily the beast hadn’t noticed them, since it was too busy going after Sparkle Ruby.

The beast paced the area for a short time, before giving up and walking away. It was too hungry to wait around for hiding pray.

Sparkle Ruby came back out and looked around. She saw that the beast had left. She climbed down and whistled for the other trolls. “The beast is gone. Everyone can come out now.” Once the other five trolls gathered again, she went to the bunker door and knocked.

Guy Diamond heard the knock and went to answer it for Branch. “I got it.” He reassured Branch. When he opened the door, Sparkle Ruby tackled him, like she had tackled Branch. A scuffle between the two began, but was short lived when Guy Diamond shoved her off. “Alright, alright, enough.” He held his head, feeling a bit dizzy. He was feeling tired too.

Branch walked over and immediately took Mr. Dinkles from Biggie. He began looking him over. “Is this one of the moth worms?”

“Don’t hurt him! He didn’t make me sick. I only had a slight fever and it went away on its own. He’s not a bad worm!” Biggie looked worried. He didn’t want Branch to squish him.

“I need to go run some tests on him. I will give him back when I figure out if he is safe or not.” Branch could hear the other trolls talking about the size of his belly. He ignored them as he took Mr. Dinkles towards his laboratory.

“So, what do you need help with? I gathered the healthier trolls to help.” Sparkle Ruby followed Branch.

“We need the herbs I told you about. Guy Diamond was only able to grab a few leaves before a beast chased us back here. I need you to be careful. He might come back.” Branch set Mr. Dinkles down and scraped his skin fuzz. He then put it in a tube and added a chemical that tested for poison.

Biggie had also followed Branch, and was watching him test Mr. Dinkles. He really didn’t want to lose his pet. He had really fallen in love with Mr. Dinkles.

“Alright, we will go look for herbs. Come on Biggie, your pet is safe.” Sparkle Ruby took his hand and began leading him towards the door. The six troll team gathered backpacks, and headed out the door to get herbs.


	13. A Glitter Of Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch and Guy Diamond take a well-deserved nap. The team find what they need and get some unexpected but welcomed help.

After Branch was done testing Mr. Dinkles, he figured out that he was safe. He carried the young worm to his bedroom and crawled into bed. He snuggled the warm critter and yawned.

“Branch? Is the worm safe?” Guy Diamond followed him to his bedroom and sat at the end of the bed.

“Yeah, he is safe....” Branch dozed off. Fatigue had finally won over him. He needed some sleep. Guy Diamond crawled into bed with him and soon dozed off as well.

Sparkle Ruby and gang were having good luck with their search for herbs. They were able to find all that they needed within an hour of starting. They began to head back.

During their search, Biggie found a mushroom and he remembered Branch giving him some for breakfast more than once before. He tucked it in his bag to give to Branch later. He was really hoping that Mr. Dinkles was OK, and that Branch hadn’t killed him.

As they came closer to Branch’s bunker, whispers about Branch’s current condition began to spread among them. Sparkle Ruby grinned, knowing that Branch was going to be in a lot of trouble for being with pod. She wasn’t aware yet that her brother was also with pod.

As they approached the bunker, a pink female troll named Lily was sitting by Branch’s door. She wasn’t feeling well, and was heavy with pod. She leaned onto the rocks and held her belly. She was in labor and had walked this distance to get away from the poison before her baby was born. She wasn’t going to risk her baby getting sick.

Sparkle Ruby saw Lily first and ran over. She recognized her. She was her uncle’s soulmate. She knew they had been with pod, but since her aunt was a normal troll, she had been in her flower pod to hide away from the sick trolls. “What’s wrong aunt Lily?”

“My time has come. I won’t risk my little one getting sick like the others.” Lily gasped and squeezed on a pillow that she had carried with her. She was very uncomfortable.

“Let’s get you inside.” Sparkle Ruby helped her stand and knocked on the door.

Guy Diamond woke up and headed for the door. He let them in and went to get Branch. He wasn’t sure what to do. “Branch, wake up. There is another emergency…”

Branch groaned and stretched. “It better be important, I am tired.” He sat up and walked out. He saw Lily and dropped his jaw. He wasn’t ready to watch something like this, and he was already scared about his own pod situation. “No, no, no…not here. I do medicine, not birth.”

“You better get practice then.” Sparkle Ruby helped Lily get comfortable.

Guy Diamond hid behind Branch. He wasn’t ready for this either and didn’t want to watch.

Branch groaned and rubbed his temples. “Alright, alright. I will get supplies that might help.” He grabbed Guy Diamond’s hand and hurried away.

“What do we do Branch? I’ve never seen a birth.” Guy Diamond whispered. He was nervous.

“Avoid the room and get the medicine done.” Branch grabbed his supplies and headed back. As he entered the room, Lily gave birth to a sparkling pink glitter baby girl. Branch’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted. Guy Diamond caught him and helped him down.

“Oh great, he fainted.” Sparkle Ruby grumbled and wrapped the newborn with a blanket. She handed her to Lily and smiled. “Happy Birthday pretty girl. Congratulations aunt Lily.”

“Thank you for your help Ruby.” Lily took her baby girl and held her close. “A glitter of hope during a time of great sorrow. I’m going to name you Hope.” She sighed, tired from the journey to the bunker, and the labor.

“You did a good job. Now rest.” Sparkle Ruby gathered as much of the glitter blood as she could and put it in a vial. With the birth of a glitter baby, there was more hope for the village. They could use as much glitter blood as they could get.

Guy Diamond fanned Branch until he began to wake. He hugged into him and sighed in relief.

Branch woke up and widened his eyes. He was going to have to do that in a couple more months, and that terrified him, although he wasn’t going to admit that he was scared. “I’m fine, I’m fine…” He pat Guy Diamond’s back gently and sighed. “Just need to eat…”

Sparkle Ruby walked over and grinned. “Whatever you say Branch. You better get up. We need you to help us make the rest of the medicine. The village still needs your help.”


	14. The Cry Of Moth Worms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The village is starting to feel better, but there is still one very big problem. The poisonous baby worm moths. Will they be able to kill them all off in time? Or is there more disaster ahead?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Tissue warning!*

After getting Lily settled and comfortable with Hope in Branch’s bed, Sparkle Ruby helped with getting all the herbs out of bags and on a table top. She told the others to stay and help Branch make medicine. She needed to check on the village and make sure that everything was working out ok, and to give her mother the vial of glitter blood from when Hope was born.

Branch and Guy Diamond got back to work on making medicine. Branch was less than thrilled with how many trolls were in his bunker and how there was a new mom and baby in his bed, but he understood the circumstances at this time and wasn’t going to argue. 

There was plenty of herbs now, to make the medicine and Branch and Guy Diamond now had help. They formed an assembly line, and were able to make the medicine faster this way.

Biggie was too young to handle the responsibility of making the medicine, so he sat by Lily and hugged Mr. Dinkles. He was glad that his pet worm was ok and that Branch didn’t kill him. He was told to help Lily if she needed anything but was to be quiet and let her rest. He watched the sleeping mother, and smiled, at the newborn baby. Trolls always celebrated new life, and Hope’s birth would definitely be celebrated as soon as everyone was feeling much better. He looked forward to the celebration.

As Sparkle Ruby approached Troll Village, she met up with Mama Goldie. She gave her the vial and explained that Lily had given birth at Branch’s bunker, and had left her there so that they could stay safe. She then began checking for the location of the baby worm moths. She needed to gather them and kill them.

Creek was the first flower pod she stopped at. He was still very sick, and was curled up with his blanket in his bed. She walked over and put her hand on his forehead. She could tell he needed help. His fever was high, and his cheeks were flushed. She took out a bottle of medicine. It was her last bottle. She gave him some of the medicine. “Hang in there, Creek. You will be ok.” 

“Check on Poppy for me…” Creek whispered and rolled onto his side. The medicine had tasted awful, but he was too weak to complain.

“Of course, Creek. Don’t you worry. She is alright.” Sparkle Ruby reassured. King Peppy and Poppy had been one of the first families that were helped for obvious reasons. She had killed their pet worm as soon as she had seen it. 

As she was about to leave Creek’s flower pod, she spotted Creek’s pet worm. She picked her up and headed outside with the young moth worm. She made sure Creek’s pod closed, and then killed his pet. She didn’t want to do it in front of him. 

Sparkle Ruby wasn’t able to kill this moth worm fast enough, and it let out a cry. Spores were released, and clung to her backpack. She was unaware that she was now carrying the poison on her.

Unfortunately, with the cry of the dying moth worm, the remaining living moth worms let out more spores in defense. This was not good news for anyone who handled them, since this meant more spores on clothing.

Sparkle Ruby disposed of the dead moth worm, and continued to search for more. During this time, she visited a young trolling. There was no worm there, but she did hug the trolling before leaving. Shortly after the hug, the young trolling collapsed and began to shiver.

“Oh my god!” Sparkle Ruby helped the young trolling into her bed, and then hurried out. It was clear that she was somehow carrying the poison. She needed to stop touching anyone until she could bathe. “I need to be careful, and I need to tell mom about that trolling…”

Sparkle Ruby soon found Mama Goldie and told her what happened. She told her that she wasn’t going to be giving medicine until all the moth worms were gone and she had a chance to clean up. There was a lot of clean up that was obviously going to need to happen.

As Sparkle Ruby made her rounds and killed the worm moths, it was becoming increasingly clear that this crisis was going to be long and drawn out. She just hoped that there wasn’t going to be any more deaths.

As she stopped at the last flower pod, Sparkle Ruby made a grim discovery. In a bed, snuggled up with three moth worms, was a young female troll. She loved all creatures big and small and had taken them in, not knowing that she had made a fatal mistake. Tears filled Ruby’s eyes as she reached over and touched the young troll. She was cold. “Oh no…”


	15. Raining Relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sparkle Ruby puts a young troll to rest. Rain brings some much-needed relief to Troll Village. Everything is starting to look up for everyone.

Sparkle Ruby immediately killed the three worms that were curled up next to the deceased female troll. She set them aside and then sat by the young troll. She sniffled and put her hand on her chest. “I am sorry I did not come in time.” She began to cry. She turned and hugged into the dead troll. “So sorry…”

After she settled and regained her composure, Sparkle Ruby stood up and picked her up. She carried her outside and headed for the burial grounds. She needed to get her buried before anyone else got sick. As quick as this young girl went, she had to have a lot of spores on her.

Once she was buried, Sparkle Ruby began to head for the creek. Her normally bright red skin, was currently dull gray. She was good friends with this troll, and her death really stung. She looked at her reflection, and then looked away. She knew it wasn’t right to let this hurt her so bad, but she couldn’t help it. There had been too much death and sadness. Even the thought of the birth of her cousin didn’t make her skin change back.

Sparkle Ruby cleaned up at the creek and drank some water. She then washed her backpack and all the contents. She wasn’t going to risk any more contamination if she could help it. She really wasn’t sure if she could handle seeing anyone else die.

Once Ruby was done, she laid on her back and looked up at the sky. It was dark and cloudy. “Well this certainly fits the mood…” She closed her eyes and began to doze off.

Back at Troll Village, there was a family of trolls looking for help. It was a baby. He had already had medicine but had been re-exposed. His fever was high, and the mother was desperate for help. She found Mama Goldie and gave her son to her. He was given more medicine, but Mama Goldie looked worried. She knew this was the second time this little one was helped. “We need to find a way to wash the spores away…”

As she finished her sentence, the first rain drops fell from the sky. She looked up and smiled. She had an idea. “Everyone needs to open their flower pods.” She began running around and telling everyone to open their flower pods. They needed to take advantage of this rain storm.

Poppy put her hand out of her flower pod and felt raindrops. She then heard Mama Goldie and grinned. She opened her flower pod and slid down to the ground. “It is raining, it is raining!” She grinned, pulled out her cowbell, pound on it, and began to dance. This was so great, and she could feel a song coming on. 

“I’m singing in the rain, and dancing in the rain! Can you feel the drops on your face? The dew drops on the flowers, making me feel cheer. I am singing in the rain and dancing in the rain. Let’s all have a party!” Poppy giggled and did a cartwheel. She was so glad it was raining.

Poppy’s enthusiasm had brought out most of the trolls. They sat under the rain and a sense of relief came over Troll Village. Everyone was going to be just fine now.

Sparkle Ruby woke up, feeling raindrops on her skin. She got up and gathered her backpack and supplies. She was still gray as she made her way to Branch’s bunker. When she arrived, she knocked on the door.

Guy Diamond answered the door and frowned, seeing his sister was gray. “What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. I came to get more medicine. Is it done?” Sparkle Ruby couldn’t look at her brother. She was on the verge of tears again. She didn’t want to cry in front of him.

“Something happened. Please tell me? You are allowed to share with me. I am here. We are family.” Guy Diamond offered her a hug. 

Sparkle Ruby refused and pushed past him. She was in a hurry to get back and help. She didn’t want anyone else to die. She went to the laboratory and opened the door. She could see they were all still working hard on making the medicine. “I need what is made. There are still several sick trolls.”

“It is not done yet.” Branch had his back to her and hadn’t seen that she was gray. He too was gray, and he never told anyone why. Many younger trolls believed that gray was his normal color, but he was normally teal with dark blue hair. He had become nervous, gray, and a loner after a traumatic event in his childhood.

“Well, you need to hurry.” Sparkle Ruby clenched her fists. They had had enough time, right? Why were they not done?

“We are moving as fast as we can sis.” Guy Diamond grabbed her arm gently and pulled her in. He gave her a tight hug. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but hugs warmed the heart, and surely something had hurt her heart.

“Seriously…” Branch turned and was about to scold Sparkle Ruby for being impatient. Guy Diamond was right, they had been working as fast as they could. There was no need for her to push them. When he saw she was gray, and her eyes looked dim, he walked over and gave her a big hug too. “Easy Sparkle Ruby, it’s going to be ok. There is no need to grow bitter.”

“Says the troll that is bitter all the time.” Sparkle Ruby grumbled and hugged them back. Tears filled her eyes again. “We lost another…” She began to explain what happened. She then cried it out. Afterwards, she did feel better, and her color began to come back.

“You did the right thing sis.” Guy Diamond held her as she cried. “You have done nothing wrong.”

Branch held her as well and let her cry. Although he wasn’t one for hugs, this was definitely a time to make an exception. “It is never easy to lose anyone we love.”


	16. Punishment Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Troll Village is feeling better, Branch and Guy Diamond’s bad behavior is addressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, mature audiences only this chapter. I was definitely in a mood today. Enjoy!

Once the rest of the medicine was done, Sparkle Ruby began to carry it back to the village. When she arrived, she found Mama Goldie and King Peppy talking. They were discussing Branch and Guy Diamond’s condition and were trying to figure out a disciplinary action that would not harm the unborn trollings.

“I can’t go down there right now to deliver punishment. I have a village to tend to, and I need your help.” King Peppy told Mama Goldie. He was frustrated but was not too angry. They had lost five lives. Two new lives were going to be a blessing.

“I can deliver punishment. Just tell me what you want me to do.” Sparkle Ruby offered. It was a chance for her to get back at her brother for stealing her crush.

“Thank you Sparkle Ruby. We have decided ten spankings, with a paddle, would be the gentlest punishment. Do you think you can handle that?” King Peppy took the medicine and smiled, relieved to get help.

“Yeah, I will just use my good arm. It won’t be an issue.” Sparkle Ruby grinned. She was going to like giving Branch a butt whooping.

“And tell Guy Diamond he needs to come check in with me. I haven’t seen him since we started glitter transfusions.” Mama Goldie asked. She was getting concerned.

“Yes, of course.” Sparkle Ruby smiled and began to head for Branch’s bunker. Once she arrived she went in and looked for them. She found them resting in Branch’s lounging room.

“What happened to knocking?” Branch crossed his arms and grumbled about not having any privacy.

“I didn’t want to wake anyone up. I suggest you be quiet. I was told you both need to be punished.” Sparkle Ruby closed the door and locked it, so no one could come in.

“Seriously? What are you going to do?” Branch stood and glared at her. He was already protective of his pod and didn’t want Guy Diamond hurting either.

Guy Diamond looked up. He had been dozing but when Branch stood it woke him up. “Huh?”

“King Peppy said spankings. Now you both turn around. Don’t make me pin you down.” Sparkle Ruby smirked.

“S-spankings?!” Branch widened his eyes and blushed. He turned to Guy Diamond and whispered in his ear. “I told you she is crazy.” 

“That is not punishment. We will enjoy it.” Guy Diamond grinned and crossed his arms.

“Uh Huh...well this was a punishment declared by King Peppy so I must follow through. Turn around...” Sparkle Ruby pulled out a paddle from her backpack. She had grabbed it on the way to his bunker.

Branch turned and kneeled so she could have a good target. He could feel his cheeks flush. He enjoyed spankings and wasn’t sure if he should be excited or pretend to be scared.

Guy Diamond stood next to Branch and turned his back to her too. He had a big smirk on his face. “You are just going to turn us on.”

“Branch? Pull down your shorts. This needs to be bare bottom.” Ruby was starting to blush. They were acting odd, and this definitely didn’t feel like punishment.

“If you say so.” Branch pulled down his shorts and set them aside. “You might want to leave when you are done.”

Guy Diamond smirked and began to chuckle. He knew exactly what was on Branch’s mind. He was having the same dirty thoughts.

Sparkle Ruby flushed and grasped the paddle. She gave Branch a good whack in the butt. She then gave her brother a big whack too. “You two know better than to do what you did.” She felt fuzzy but gave them both another good whack each.

Branch held back a moan. “But it felt so good.”

Guy Diamond groaned and grasped Branch’s hand. This sure felt good. “Is that all you got?”

Sparkle Ruby flushed and whacked them both again. She could see that their butts were turning red. She bit her bottom lip and looked away. She was turned on. “You two are a royal pain.”

Branch smirked and pulled Guy Diamond close. He began kissing him deeply. Guy Diamond ran his hands down his side and shivered.

Sparkle Ruby turned and watched with wide eyes. Were they seriously going there in front of her? She groaned and dropped the paddle. She felt a sting of jealousy. 

“Told you that you might want to go.” Branch winked at her and then went back to kissing Guy Diamond.

“I wasn’t done.” Ruby grumbled and looked down at her paddle. This wasn’t part of the plan.

Both boys began making moaning sounds. Sparkle Ruby blushed and picked up her paddle again. “I said be quiet…” She didn’t want to leave and then have someone see she was in there. She didn’t want to get caught being tied up in their special time.

“Mmm, sorry Ruby, we get loud.” Branch moaned and turned to grin at her.

Guy Diamond grabbed him from behind and held him close. “Mmm, yes, Branchie gets really loud.”

“Don’t. You. Dare.” Sparkle Ruby clenched the paddle, but could feel her belly tingle. She had never felt like this before, and the new feeling felt odd. She bite her bottom lip and watched them.

Guy Diamond grabbed Branch’s hair and began pounding him right in front of his sister. He wasn’t going to wait for her to leave. Her chance was gone now. Branch gasped onto his knees and began to moan loudly.

Sparkle Ruby dropped her jaw. She wasn’t expecting that. Was her brother seriously having sex with her crush, in front of her? She growled and went towards them, and half-heartedly smacked Guy Diamond in the butt.

Guy Diamond whooped and moaned as he continued to ride Branch. He was only encouraged by her smack. Branch shivered and moaned louder. “Mmm, harder!”

Sparkle Ruby smirked and smacked him again, harder. She could feel a warmth that she never felt before. She dropped her paddle and put her hand under Branch’s chin. “You don’t play fair.”

Branch looked up at her and smirked. “I never play fair.” He grabbed her hair and gave it a tug, pulling her closer.

Sparkle Ruby wasn’t expecting it and stumbled forward. Her face made contact with his, and she could feel the warmth of his lips on her cheek. She flushed and pushed him gently on the shoulder as she backed a little. “You are naughty.”

“You know you like it.” Branch grinned and moved his hair to tickle her inner thigh.

Guy Diamond grinned and watched as he kept pounding into Branch. He didn’t mind this and found it entertaining.

Sparkle Ruby shivered and let out a moan. “That feels good…”

Branch grinned and pulled her closer. “Does it? How about now?” He began to finger her gently.

Sparkle Ruby gasped and grasped onto his shoulder. She moaned and started to breathe heavy. She was feeling hot and wet. “That feels really good. Please…I want more…”

Guy Diamond got off Branch so they could all repositioned. Branch hugged Sparkle Ruby close and slipped into her. He began to grind her slowly.

Sparkle Ruby hugged into Branch and moaned. She could feel all his length in her and couldn’t help but squeeze her core. “Oh Branch…”

Guy Diamond got behind Branch again and began to pound him once more. The double rhythm of the two horny boys had Sparkle Ruby shifting up and down hard. They were really starting to get loud.

The sounds of the three went on for the rest of the night. Those who were sleeping over at Branch’s bunker were woken more then once to the sounds of rough sex. Some rolled back over and went to sleep, while a few others took turns putting their ear at the door.


	17. No Deed Undone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch, Guy Diamond, and Sparkle Ruby did a forbidden deed. What will become of them now?

As morning arose in Troll Village, Mama Goldie was up and looking around for her son and daughter. She hadn’t seen either for some time now, and she was angry that Guy Diamond had never come home to check in. With everyone feeling better, she had time now to deal with the situation. She walked towards Branch’s bunker and knocked on the door.

Biggie was the one that answered the door. He smiled at Mama Goldie and let her right in. “Hello Mama Goldie, is the village feeling better today?”

“Yes Biggie, everyone is feeling much better today. Have you seen Guy Diamond and Sparkle Ruby?” Mama Goldie walked in and looked around. She could see that the bunker was clean and well kept. Better then she expected for a teenager’s home.

“No one has seen them since last night. I think they have been playing games though, in Branch’s lounge.” Biggie cradled Mr. Dinkles. He had slept through most of the noises, but he heard giggles more then once from that room during the night.

“I told Sparkle Ruby to have Guy Diamond check in. He never came home.” Goldie frowned. “Where is his lounge. I need to talk to them?”

Biggie led Mama Goldie to the lounge. “Right here. I think they are asleep though.”

Mama Goldie heard snoring on the other side of the door. She gave the door a firm knock.

Branch snorted as he woke up. He stood up and put his clothes back on. His hair was messy from their night of rough sex. He hadn’t bothered to comb it. “Who is it at this time of the morning?!” He asked grumpily. As he cracked the door open, he saw who it was and backed away with his eyes wide. They were so busted. “Hello Mama Goldie…”

“Where are my son and daughter? Guy Diamond was supposed to check in last night.” Mama Goldie smelled the undeniable scent of sex. She crossed her arms. She wasn’t amused but wasn’t surprised either. What she didn’t know yet, was that her daughter had also been involved.

Sparkle Ruby heard her mother and scrambled up. Her hair was also a mess, and she was sore from having many rounds of sex with Branch. “Mom?”

Guy Diamond was sound asleep and dead to the world. He was just too tired to wake up at this point.

“Sparkle Ruby, why did you not send your brother home? And what are you doing in here? What is going on?!” Mama Goldie glared at her daughter. She looked her up and down and realized that she had been involved.

Branch went to hide. He did not want to feel Mama Goldie’s wrath. He could tell she was royally angry.

Sparkle Ruby groaned and walked over to her mom. She rubbed her sore arm and looked down. “Sorry mom, I started to punish them, and I got caught up in the moment. I…I love him.”

“Please tell me you didn’t have sex with your brother.” Mama Goldie resist the urge to slap her daughter. She was angry with this behavior, and this was certainly not the time to do such things.

“Of course not. I did it with Branch.” Sparkle Ruby glanced in Branch’s direction. She knew lying was only going to get them in more trouble.

“You and your brother are coming home. You are all too young for this.” Mama Goldie walked over to Guy Diamond and woke him up. She grabbed him by the ear and dragged him towards the door. “You are both grounded, forever.”

Branch lowered his head and followed them outside. He looked up as he watched the three glitter trolls walk towards Troll Village. He cringed, feeling a kick in his belly. What was he going to do now? His loneliness had almost been cured, but now it was coming back with a vengeance. Once they were out of sight, he went into his bunker and made everyone leave. He didn’t want to deal with any of the others. He just wanted his Guy and Ruby back.


	18. A Midnight Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some time passes by. The village is feeling better. Will there be more trouble?

Another month went by in Troll Village, and everyone was feeling much better. Almost everyone was back to their normal routine, including Branch, who spent most of his time away from Troll Village. He collected his herbs and supplies and kept to himself. He hadn’t seen Guy Diamond or Sparkle Ruby since the morning they got busted. It seemed that the only other punishment that King Peppy and Mama Goldie could think of was to make them stay apart as punishment. Guy Diamond had celebrated his seventeenth birthday at home just days after they had got in trouble.

Today, it was Branch’s seventeenth birthday. It certainly didn’t feel like a birthday. It never did. With no living relatives, he wasn’t given a birthday party, and celebrated alone. The only thing he had to look forward to was the movement of his growing pod. He was never going to be truly alone again, but it still hurt that he couldn’t be with the two trolls he truly loved.

Talk of Branch’s condition had went around Troll Village. Many trolls had come to look at him, but today, he wasn’t in the mood. He heard movement in the bushes and pulled out the spying troll. It was a young male, who giggled and took off running. It seemed to be a game to the younger teenagers, but Branch didn’t like this game. He growled and chased him a short distance, before turning and walking back. He grumbled and headed for his Bunker. He had decided he would make himself some tea and munch on some blueberries. 

Branch settled inside his bunker and made his tea and snack. He sat down in his lounge and ate. When he was done, he sat back and began to doze off.

Back in Troll Village, Guy Diamond and Sparkle Ruby were talking about seeing Branch today. They knew it was his birthday, and they wanted to bring him a cake. They knew Mama Goldie wouldn’t approve, so they needed to plan this accordingly.

As soon as it became dark, the two glitter trolls snuck out of their flower pods and headed for Branch’s bunker. When they arrived, they knocked on the door.

Branch woke up when he heard the knock. He cautiously opened his peep hole and saw that it was Guy Diamond and Sparkle Ruby. He sighed in relief. “You two know you will be in trouble if you get caught here. You are grounded forever.”

“I’m not staying away forever.” Sparkle Ruby smiled down at him. “Are you going to let us in or not?”

Guy Diamond smiled down at Branch. He had his hand on his belly. He was starting to show and had a cute little baby bump.

“Yes, of course.” Branch opened his door and let them in. He closed the door and locked it. He then turned and gave them both a tight hug. “I have missed you two so much…”

“I missed you too.” Guy Diamond hugged into him and smiled. Once Branch let go, he put his hand on Branch’s belly and smiled. “I have missed you too little one. My goodness you are getting big.”

Sparkle Ruby snuggled into Branch’s shoulder and didn’t want to let go. When he broke the embrace, she put her hand on Branch’s belly as well. “You are going to give birth soon. We are not going to let anyone break us apart again. You shouldn’t be alone…”

“I know my time is coming.” Branch looked down at his belly and then at them. “Thank you for coming back. I was starting to get nervous that I would do this alone.”

“Sparkle Ruby and I want to move in here with you.” Guy Diamond smiled and glanced at her. “Don’t we?”

Sparkle Ruby nodded but grew quiet. Her stomach was upset all the sudden. She groaned ran towards the bathroom and began to puke into Branch’s toilet.

Branch frowned and followed her to the toilet. He rubbed her back. “How long have you been sick?”

“I’m fine.” Sparkle Ruby heaved up the rest of her stomach contents and then sat by the toilet.

“She has been hugging the toilet for a few days.” Guy Diamond stood at the doorway and watched his sister. He had a feeling he knew what was wrong.

“I will make you some tea.” Branch got up and headed for his kitchen to make Sparkle Ruby some mint tea.

“We came here to celebrate your birthday, not tend to me. Get back here.” Sparkle Ruby followed him.

Guy Diamond followed them and settled down at the table. He grabbed the cake from his hair and set it down. He had a big smile on his face.

“We can do both.” Branch set up his tea pot and began to heat some water. He grabbed some mint leaves and put them in the pot. Once it was done, he set the tea at the table and offered the seat to Sparkle Ruby.

“Alright, thank you.” Sparkle Ruby sat down and sipped on the tea.

Branch smiled at her, and then went to look at his cake. “It looks good. Who made it?” He sat down and looked over at Guy Diamond.

“That was Ruby. She worked hard on it. I could hear her humming from my flower pod.” Guy Diamond smiled. “Shall we?”

“You bet.” Sparkle Ruby grabbed the cake and cut it. She gave them each a piece and set her piece aside. She wanted her belly to settle before she had her slice.

Branch took a bite. It was sweet and had the taste of blueberries. “How did you know I like blueberries?” He ate the rest without hesitation.

“I told her.” Guy Diamond ate his slice. “I told her a lot about you. She was very curious and we had a lot of time to talk.”

Sparkle Ruby played with the frosting on her cake. She wasn’t hungry.

“Still feeling sick? You don’t have to eat it. Forcing yourself will make it worse.” Branch scoot closer and checked her forehead for a fever.

“I said I am fine.” Sparkle Ruby smiled at him and took another sip of tea.

“I think she is with pod.” Guy Diamond got up and gathered the dishes. He went to go wash them.

Branch put his hand on her belly and looked up at her. “I think he is right.” He smiled and kissed her forehead. “We are going to have a big and busy family.”

“That means three babies to take care of.” Sparkle Ruby looked at them both. They were going to be busy indeed.


	19. Double Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch, Guy Diamond, and Sparke Ruby are celebrating Branch’s birthday, but there is trouble ahead.

Mama Goldie went to check on her son and daughter. When she didn’t see them in their flower pods, she clenched her fists and went straight for Branch’s bunker. She hadn’t released them from their grounding yet, and she was ticked.

Back at Branch’s bunker, the three were at the table catching up on what they had missed over the last month. Sparkle Ruby still had not touched her slice of cake but was starting to feel better again.

Branch excused himself and went to grab more tea. He was getting it set up in the pot when he felt a sharp pain in his back. He groaned and stretched out, thinking he was just having a spasm. It began to ease, and he went back to making tea.

Guy Diamond pulled out a deck of playing cards and began to shuffle them. “We should play a game. The night is still young.”

“What kind of game do you want to play?” Sparkle Ruby shuffled closer and grinned. She was good at card games.

Mama Goldie reached Branch’s door and knocked on it hard. She was sure this is where her children ended up going.

“Uh oh…” Branch looked at Guy Diamond and Sparkle Ruby before heading for his door. On the way there, he felt that same pain again. He grimaced and put his hand on his back. He took a deep breath and opened his peep hole. “Yes Mama Goldie?”

“Time for Guy Diamond and Sparkle Ruby to come home.” Mama Goldie frowned and crossed her arms.

Branch frowned and opened the door. He hung his head and pointed to the kitchen.

Mama Goldie walked towards the kitchen and entered the room. “You two, home now!” She pointed towards Troll Village.

Guy Diamond frowned and headed out the door. He wasn’t going to push it. He was hoping this would have lasted longer.

Sparkle Ruby didn’t budge. “Mom, Branch is all alone. I don’t want to leave him again. Just look at him. He’s going to have his baby soon. It is not good for him to be here alone.”

“I said now!” Mama Goldie pointed at the door. She wasn’t in the mood for an argument.

Branch put his hand on his belly and closed his eyes. That same pain came back and began to radiate towards his belly. He grimaced but said nothing.

Sparkle Ruby grumbled and headed for the door. She gave Branch another hug.

“You can see him again when your grounding is lifted. Now go.” Mama Goldie broke them apart and escorted Sparkle Ruby to towards Troll Village.

Branch clenched his fist and grit his teeth. This wasn’t fair. He slammed the door and leaned against it. “I guess it’s you and me again kid.” He felt the pain come once again. He groaned and put his hand on his belly. “That is really starting to hurt.”

Sparkle Ruby heard the door slam behind her. She turned and looked at the door. “Mom, it’s his birthday. Can’t we at least invite him over?”

“You two are grounded. The answer is no, and that’s final.” Mama Goldie grabbed her hand and headed towards Guy Diamond, who was standing next to a tree. “Come here again and I will forbid you both from coming out here.”

“Mom, he’s having a baby!” Sparkle Ruby growled. “Your grandbaby…”

“Drop it!” Mama Goldie escorted them back towards Troll Village.

Branch made his way to his bed and crawled into it. He hugged into his pillow. He thought rest might ease his pain. When it came again, he grasped the pillow and groaned. “Is this labor?” He got up when it eased and walked towards his medical books. He hugged into the pillow as he began scrolling through it for answers.

Branch soon found a page in the book about labor and birth. He read through it, and then put the book down when he finished. “It could be false labor. I need to watch the time.” Branch went and grabbed his watch and waited for another pain. When it came, he wrote down the time and then waited for the next pain. When that came, he wrote the time again. He did this for half an hour. “Three minutes apart. It’s labor.”

Branch put his hand on his belly and bit his bottom lip. He had to make a decision, and he needed to make it quick. Would he have his baby here, or would he make the journey, in the dark, to Troll Village to seek help? He began to write down the pros and cons of each decision. If he went, he could risk getting eaten by a Bergen or some other dangerous beast. If he stayed home and had the baby here, he would risk complications since he was still very young and had no trolling birth experience.

After a short list was made, Branch decided that he would risk a lone home birth. He would not risk having his baby outside or have either of them get eaten. He crawled back into bed and hugged into the pillow. He was down right petrified, but he was going to do whatever it took to keep his baby safe.

After roughly an hour, Branch heard a knock on the door. He heaved up and groaned, feeling his belly tighten up. Whoever was at the door was going to have to wait a minute. He squeezed into his pillow and breathed hard. He was really starting to sweat. When the contraction eased up, he walked over to the door and answered it. It was Sparkle Ruby. “Are you crazy?!”

“It’s ok, I waited for mom to go to sleep and then snuck out again. Guy was too tired to come. I didn’t want you to spend the rest of your birthday alone.” Sparkle Ruby walked in and closed the door. She locked it.

“You are going to get in more trouble.” Branch grit his teeth. Pain had him in a foul mood, and he didn’t want to deal with Mama Goldie coming back angry. He was dealing with enough now. Another contraction came and had him hugging into his pillow again.

“Are you alright?” Sparkle Ruby watched him hug into the pillow.

“No, I am not alright!” Branch breathed hard. When the contraction eased up, he walked to his bed and crawled back into it. He laid on his side and groaned.

Sparkle Ruby watched him, and then followed him into his room. She saw blood on his bed and frowned. “Branch? Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on. I will help if I can.”

“The baby is coming.” Branch closed his eyes and breathed through the next contraction. They were getting closer together.

“Isn’t it a little early?! Guy Diamond says he thinks you are about five or so months along.” Sparkle Ruby grabbed pillows and made the bed more comfortable for Branch.

“I don’t think the baby cares. It’s coming now!” Branch snapped. He groaned and buried his face into his pillow.

Sparkle Ruby rubbed his back gently. “Would you like to hold my hand?” She offered him her hand to squeeze.

Branch grabbed her hand and squeezed during the next contraction. He felt like his body was being split into two. When it eased, he let go and breathed. “I’ve never been in so much pain in my life!”

“It’ll be over soon, and you will have a sweet little trolling in your arms.” Sparkle Ruby encouraged him. She was nervous though. He was young, and the baby was going to be premature. She was so glad she came back.

During the next strong contraction, a tiny glitter baby girl was born. Branch looked up, seeing that Sparkle Ruby had caught her. He looked worried. “Is she ok?”

“She has sparkling turquoise colored skin and dark blue hair. She looks healthy but is small.” Sparkle Ruby cleaned her up and encouraged her to cry. She wrapped her in a blanket as she let out soft cries. “I think she is ok.” She rubbed the little one so she would cry more. It was scary that she had been born early.

Branch smiled softly at the tiny newborn. “Thank goodness.” He groaned, feeling another contraction. He laid on his side and put his hand next to his baby. “She so tiny.”

“Yes she is. Smaller then normal, but she is premature.” Sparkle Ruby looked at Branch. “Are you feeling ok?”

“Tired and sore. Is it normal to still have pain?” Branch couldn’t take his eyes off his baby. Another contraction came and had him hugging the pillow again.

“Branch?” Sparkle Ruby checked and found that another baby was on its way out. She delivered her. She was the same color as the first baby. “I think I know why you went into labor early.” She cleaned and encouraged this baby to cry too. It took a little longer, but she started to cry too.

“Twins?!” Branch widened his eyes and looked from one baby to another. He had no clue he was carrying two.

“Yeah, identical twins.” Sparkle Ruby wrapped the second twin and set her by her sister. “Two little peas in a pod.”


	20. Mama Trollizlla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch has given birth to twin baby girls. They need names and need to be checked over.

Branch snuggled close to his twin baby girls. He was too tired to think of names, and he wanted to do that with Guy Diamond. They were his babies too after all. He made sure to feed them, and then got them comfy. He hadn’t made a cradle yet, thinking he still had time. He placed pillows around them to make sure they didn’t somehow roll off.

Sparkle Ruby helped him get the twins settled and went to make Branch a snack. She was sure he was starving after having two babies. That was a lot of work. When she came back into the room, he had already fallen asleep. She sat at the edge of the bed and watched the newborns. They were so small. She was worried about their health. She laid down so that the twins were between her and Branch. It took a little while, but she eventually drifted off.

As morning rose at Troll Village, Mama Goldie went to check on her children. She saw that Guy Diamond was sound asleep in his flower pod. She sighed in relief and went to check Sparkle Ruby’s flower pod. She found it empty. Enraged, she headed straight for Branch’s bunker. “What am I going to do with that girl?!”

Mama Goldie soon arrived at the bunker and pound on the door. She was eager to get their attention. She was very angry at Sparkle Ruby.

Sparkle Ruby startled awake. She was sleepy. She had been helping Branch all through the night to help the twins eat. She walked to the door and opened the peep hole. “Mom, please let me explain…”

“Unlock this door right now!” Mama Goldie crossed her arms and looked at her daughter. She was as angry as a mama bear protecting her cubs.

Sparkle Ruby frowned and crossed her arms. She wasn’t unlocking the door yet. “Mom, please, I was just trying to comfort him. It was his birthday. If I hadn’t come back…”

“Not another word! Open this door! Now!” Mama Goldie pound on the door again.

Branch sat up stiffly and grabbed the twins. He walked towards his front door. “You better listen to your mom Ruby. She’s about to tear that door down.”

“She needs to calm down before I open the door.” Sparkle Ruby grumbled.

Mama Goldie peered through, and saw that Branch looked thinner, and was holding something. She saw a little bit of dark hair coming out of the blanket he was holding. She frowned and began to put the pieces together. She put her arms down and backed off. “Branch, did you have your baby?”

“Open the door Ruby. She is calming down.” Branch shifted the twins in his arms so they were easier to see.

“Yes mom, he did give birth, and he almost did it all alone.” Sparkle Ruby slowly opened the door. “If I hadn’t snuck out and came in time…”

Mama Goldie came in and looked at the tiny twins. She felt her heart skip a beat. She knew Branch wasn’t due to give birth. She was waiting until closer to his due date to release her son and daughter from their grounding. She wasn’t expecting premature birth. “Oh Branch, I am so sorry. If I had known you were in labor, I wouldn’t have made my kids leave last night.”

“I didn’t even know I was in labor yet. I thought I was just uncomfortable.” Branch explained. “Can you check them over? They are very small, and I am worried about them.”

Sparkle Ruby rubbed her arm nervously. She was just as worried about the twins, and hoped they were going to be ok.

Mama Goldie gently took one of the twins. She sat down and uncovered her from her blanket. “Are they eating? Have they gone potty? Are they breathing ok?”

“The firstborn has had some trouble eating, but I think she has figured it out. They have both went potty multiple times. The second born had a little trouble breathing, but she has been fine since her first cries.” Branch sat by Mama Goldie and watched her inspect the second born baby. When she was done checking her, he gave her the firstborn to check over.

“This one looks just fine. She will catch up with lots of food.” Mama Goldie gave Branch his second born back and began to check the firstborn over. “This one is a little smaller but seems very healthy. If she keeps eating, she will be fine too.” She gave Branch his firstborn. “I’m going to go get Guy Diamond. He’s going to want to meet them.” She stood back up and headed out the door.

Branch cradled the twins and looked down at them. “I was thinking of naming the first one Sweet Pea, and the second one Jade. I want to know what Guy Diamond thinks though.”

“They are lovely names. I am sure he will like them.” Sparkle Ruby sat down and smiled down at the tiny babies. “They sure are cute.”

It took a little time, but Mama Goldie soon arrived with Guy Diamond. She hadn’t told him yet. She cracked the door open and motioned him to go in. “Go on, it’s important.”

“Branch? Mama said you had something to tell me.” Guy Diamond walked in and saw that Branch was lounging next to his sister with two little bundles tucked in his lap. As he got closer, he could see they were babies. He smiled and knelt down. “When did this happen?”

Branch watched Guy move closer and gently showed him the twins. “It happened late last night. Sparkle Ruby barely made it back here in time to help me with them.”

“He did a good job. No complications other then they are early.” Sparkle Ruby moved so Guy Diamond could sit by Branch and look at his daughters.

Guy Diamond sat by Branch and took one of the babies. He cradled her and smiled. “They look the same. Are they identical?”

“It appears so.” Branch smiled softly. “That one you just grabbed was born first. This one was born second. They came pretty close together. I was thinking Sweet Pea for the one you are holding, and Jade for the second born.”

“They sound like great names.” Guy Diamond smiled and looked down at Sweet Pea. 

Mama Goldie closed the door and headed for Troll Village. She was going to let the new parents enjoy their babies and bond. She was going to go announce the birth of her grandbabies and cook a meal for them. They were going to need a lot of help with two little mouths to feed.


	21. A Mysterious Illness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The worms have been gone for a month now, but there is still trouble ahead.

Branch took to fatherhood like a champ and spent the first few days of the twin’s lives tending to their every need. When they turned four days old, Branch began to feel ill. He was curled up in his bed and was watching the wall. It looked like a bunch of baby fuzzy spiders were crawling up his wall. He blinked a few times, and the disappeared. He groaned and sat up. He looked over at the cradle that the twins were in and saw they were ok. He wiped his brow and walked towards the bathroom to get a drink and go to the bathroom. He thought perhaps he was just having a bad dream.

After a short trip to the bathroom, Branch walked over to crawl into bed and saw the spiders again. His eye twitched and began whacking the imaginary spiders.

The noise of Branch attempting to kill something that was not there woke Guy Diamond up. He sat up and looked over. “What is it Branch?”

“There is a bunch of spiders in here. I don’t want them near the twins.” Branch stomped the ground.

Guy Diamond got up and looked over at the floor. He didn’t see anything. Concerned, he walked over and felt Branch’s forehead. He was hot to the touch. “Lay down Branch, it’s alright.”

“No, they will hurt the twins.” Branch pushed him away, and then groaned. He was still sore from giving birth, and that effort didn’t feel great.

“There are no spiders Branch. Please lay down. You need rest.” Guy Diamond helped him back into bed. He then shook Sparkle Ruby awake and told her what happened.

“That sounds just like when the worms infected the village…” Sparkle Ruby thought for a moment, and then frowned and got up. “Oh gosh, I didn’t think about the bunker getting infected with spores. We need to wash everything.” She got to work on gathering all of Branch’s clothes and blankets. She went in his laundry room and began to wash them.

Guy Diamond frowned and went into the laboratory. Branch didn’t get sick the whole time they took care of the village. What had suddenly changed? He grabbed the medicine and walked back. “Branch, I need to give you some of this to help. I think you got the spores from the moth worms.”

“If it was going to get me, it would have happened last month.” Branch shook his head. He didn’t want to take it. He didn’t want it to affect the babies.

“If the spores are in the bunker, it could still affect you Branch. Please take it. You are not going to be able to feed the twins until your fever goes away anyway.” Guy Diamond tried to get him to take it.

Branch resisted and shook his head. “I’m not taking it.”

Sweet Pea stirred and scrunched up her little face. She began to cry. Jade woke up as well and began to cry too.

Branch got up, and went to go grab Sweet Pea, but Guy Diamond got in front of him. “No Branch, you can’t take care of them until you feel better. We don’t know if this is the spores, or if you are sick with an illness. Either way, their immune systems are premature, and they risk infection. You need to lay down and leave them alone. We will get them taken care of.”

Sparkle Ruby came back in from washing clothes and went to change the twins. She side glanced at Branch and frowned. “Lay back down before I pin you down.”

Branch grumbled and laid down in the bed. He didn’t like that the babies were crying. His paternal instincts told him to go take care of them.

“He didn’t take the medicine.” Guy Diamond set the medicine by Branch, and then went to help Sparkle Ruby take care of the twins.

“Branch, take it now, or I will sick my mother on you.” Sparkle Ruby got Sweet Pea all cleaned up. She set her back in the cradle and tried to think of who could come and help feed them since Branch wasn’t going to be able to. She thought of going to ask her aunt Lily.

Branch mumbled and took the medicine. He was not a happy camper about it though.

Guy Diamond finished with Jade and cradled her. She was not calming down. It was obvious she was hungry. She was trying to nurse off him. “Ruby, we need to find a temporary surrogate.”

“I’ll go get aunt Lily. Make sure he stays in bed.” Sparkle Ruby headed out the door and ran towards Troll Village.

Branch crossed his arms and watched Guy Diamond try and soothe Jade. Sweet Pea had fallen back to sleep but hearing his hungry daughter cry was making him angry.

Guy Diamond put a finger in Jade’s mouth and let her suckle on his finger. That worked for about ten seconds before she began to cry again.

“She’s hungry.” Branch grumbled angrily. He wanted to fix this. He didn’t like her upset at all.

“I know she is Branch. Sparkle Ruby is getting help right now. She’ll be alright.” Guy Diamond reassured.

Branch got back up and walked over to take her. He wanted to help her.

“No Branch, not until we know what is going on with you.” Guy Diamond picked Sweet Pea up and walked out of the room to get away from Branch. He wasn’t going to risk them getting sick too.

Branch growled and sat down at the edge of the bed. He was frustrated and wanted to help is baby girl.

Sparkle Ruby soon arrived with Lily and Hope. Lily gave Hope to Guy Diamond, and then took Jade and began to feed her. “It’s ok little one…” Jade began to nurse. She calmed right down.

Sparkle Ruby went into the bedroom and sat by Branch. She checked his forehead and frowned. “You are so warm Branch. Please lay down. We need to figure out why you have a fever and are hallucinating.”

“I’m not hallucinating.” Branch grumbled and laid down on his side. He was in complete denial.

“There are no spiders in this room Branch.” Sparkle Ruby set to work on giving him a glitter transfusion. She was taking any precaution she could think of. It wasn’t going to hurt for him to have the same medicine that everyone else had when the moth worms affected most of the village. Now only time would tell if it was the same thing or not.


	22. A Huge Relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch starts to feel better and goes back to having a routine with the twins.

Branch began to feel better after a few hours of sleep. Sparkle Ruby and Guy Diamond went to work and cleaned the bunker while Branch rested. They wanted to make sure he and the babies were safe.

Branch got up and looked around for the twins. He felt better and he wanted to make sure his babies were alright. He peered into the lounge and saw Lily cradling the twins while Hope napped in her lap. He watched Hope and then looked at Sweet Pea and Jade. There was a huge size difference.

“Are they ok?” Branch asked at the door. His hair was a little messy from his nap.

“They are doing great. They are so beautiful Branch.” Lily smiled at him.

“Thank you for coming to feed them.” Branch smiled softly. “I am feeling better. Not sure what happened.”

“Probably the same thing that happened to me. I didn’t get sick while pregnant either, and we both share one thing in common. Our babies are glitter babies. They were all unknowingly protecting us. I am grateful too. You save so many lives last month. I know others are grateful too.” Lily smiled softly. “You look exhausted. I have enough trouble with one baby. I can’t imagine two.”

“They are worth being tired. I don’t like being away from them.” Branch leaned against the door. He was still weak from the fever.

“You should get some more rest. It will take you a couple days to get your strength back.” Lily looked down at the twins. “They need you to feel better.”

Branch frowned and looked at his twins. He really didn’t want to. He wanted to have snuggle time with his babies.

“I think it will be ok for you to see them if you shower. Although Hope never did get sick.” Lily thought out loud.

Branch smiled and headed for the shower. He cleaned up and then dried off. He put clean clothes on and walked back into the lounge. He walked over to Lily and sat by her.

“Feel better?” Lily gently gave him Sweet Pea. She then shifted and gave him Jade.

“Yeah, I am feeling a lot better.” Branch held the twins and smiled. It may have only been a few hours, but it felt longer than that.

“Good.” Lily checked his forehead. “Seems your fever has left too. I will go home and give this little one some daddy time.” She got up and headed for the door.

“Thank you for coming.” Branch walked with her to the door and then made sure to shut the door and locked it. He headed for the bedroom.

Sparkle Ruby saw him and walked over. “You look better. Told you it was probably the spores.”

“Yeah, Sorry...” Branch set the twins down in their cradle and then turned to hug her. “Thank you for cleaning my bunker.”

“Our bunker.” Sparkle Ruby grinned and snuggled. “You still look tired.”

“I’m fine, but I will lay down while the twins are asleep.” They may have been four days old, but Branch had already learnt that rest and sleep was a good idea when the babies were asleep.

“Sleep well Branch.” Sparkle Ruby kissed his forehead, and then crawled into bed and spooned him. Guy Diamond soon joined them and snuggled in for a nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one. Chapter 23 will bring a nice long chapter. Hope you enjoyed!


	23. A Bergen Scare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Bergen is nearby, and Troll Village is on edge. They decide to move, but there are complications with this decision.

A couple months have gone by since Branch gave birth to twin baby girls. They had finally caught up in size and were doing great. Today, Branch decided they needed to go for a walk and explore together. There was so much he wanted to teach the twins, and he heard that teaching them early was good. He got them set up so Sweet Pea was strapped to his back, and Jade was strapped to Sparkle Ruby’s back.

Guy Diamond was heavy with pod, but decided he wanted to go too. They figured they would stay close just in case he went into labor. He was due anytime now and hoped that the walk would help move his baby along. He was super uncomfortable.

Sparkle Ruby was starting to show, and all three of them were already suspecting twins from her. She was about as big as Branch was at three months along.

They got all ready to go and headed outside. Branch began to walk towards the trails he normally took to foraging. He had Guy Diamond’s hand as he walked over to a bush and inspected the leaves. “Girls, this is milkweed. They are very important for the butterfly population. I take a few seeds every year and plant them in a new spot so that there are lots of beautiful butterflies. Butterflies are important, because they help protect us trolls.”

Sparkle Ruby watched him and smiled. He was a good daddy and had been telling the girls all about the world since the day they were born. 

Guy Diamond listened and cooed at Sweet Pea. She was wide awake and looking at him. Sweet Pea really loved him and had bonded more with him than Branch.

Jade had Branch’s full attention. She may have been tiny and young, but she loved the sound of his voice. She bubbled and smiled softly.

“Did you see that? She just smiled at me.” Branch beamed and gave Jade a small poke on the nose. “You are so sweet baby girl.”

Loud foot steps echoed in the forest. Branch suddenly stopped and told them all to be quiet. He listened and then grabbed Sparkle Ruby’s hand and ran with them towards the bunker. He helped them back in, and then shut the door.

“What is it Branch?” Guy Diamond whispered.

Sparkle Ruby looked scared. She was old enough to remember what that sound was. “It’s a Bergen….”

Branch picked up Jade from Sparkle Ruby’s back and went deeper into the bunker. He opened a door and put the twins down on the floor. It was his panic room. He laid out a blanket and put the girls on the blanket. Both girls started to fuss. They could sense the panic that was expressed from their parents. Branch sat and began trying to soothe them.

Guy Diamond followed him and sat with the girls. “Shhh…it’s ok girls.” He picked up Sweet Pea and put her over his shoulder. He pat her back gently to try and soothe her. He felt his belly tighten but didn’t give it a thought. He was too scared to worry about it.

“We need to warn the village…” Sparkle Ruby watched them and put her hand on her belly. She was scared for her parents and their new family.

“We can’t go right now Ruby. We risk all of our babies if we go out there right now. King Peppy will know what to do.” Branch whispered. He began feeding both girls so they would calm down.

Guy Diamond leaned on the wall and watched the twins. He put his hand on his belly and grimaced.

Sparkle Ruby looked over at her brother when he shifted and saw him hold his belly. “Oh no…”

Branch looked at Guy Diamond and widened his eyes. “Now?!” He frowned and looked at Sparkle Ruby. “Keep him quiet. I will be right back.” He set the girls back down on the blanket and hurried for his bedroom.

Guy closed his eyes and breathed. He tried really hard not to make any noises, but a groan did escape him.

“Deep breaths little bro, it’s going to be ok.” Sparkle Ruby sat down by him and rubbed his back gently.

Branch soon came back and began setting up blankets and pillows. He had never set his panic room up for sleeping, so there were only blankets here. He got a small bed set up and helped Guy Diamond lay down. “Try laying on your side. I found that position to be the most comfortable.”

Guy Diamond laid on his side and held his belly. “Bad timing…”

“No no, it’s ok. We made it back into the bunker and the Bergen didn’t get us. It’s not bad timing. The baby is just ready.” Sparkle Ruby sat beside him and took his hand. “It may take a few hours for the baby to come. Breathe through the contractions. We are here for you.”

Branch covered Guy Diamond, so he didn’t get cold, and then checked the twins. They had fallen asleep. He closed the panic room’s door and locked it.

Back at Troll Village, King Peppy was making preparations for a feast when a scout ran towards him and told him that a Bergen had been spotted. He dropped what he was doing and told the scout to tell everyone to hide and to be quiet about it.

The scout made rounds to tell trolls to hide. Word made its way around and soon the whole village had blend in with the surrounding landscape.

They saw a Bergen passed the village, but luckily he didn’t see any flower pods. He kept going, in search for a tasty snack. Preferably a troll.

Once the Bergen was gone, King Peppy gave orders for everyone to come to him. He needed to do a role call and make sure no one had gone missing. He also wanted to move the village. That had been way to close, and he wasn’t going to risk it happening again.

Mama Goldie had watched were the Bergen came from. She thought of her children and grandkids. That Bergen had passed Branch’s bunker. As soon as she passed rollcall, she ran straight for Branch’s bunker. She needed to make sure they were all safe and needed them to go to Troll Village so that they could come with the whole village when they were ready to leave.

When Mama Goldie arrived at Branch’s bunker, she found the secret entrance and went inside. She avoided the traps and hurried for the door. She knocked quietly. She didn’t want the Bergen to find them.

Branch heard the light knocking on the door. He got up. “Stay quiet and don’t leave this room.” He headed for the door and answered it. “Mama Goldie? Come in. It’s not safe outside.” He let her in.

“That is why I am here. King Peppy has ordered for the entire village to move. We need to pack up and leave as soon as possible.” Mama Goldie came in, prepared to help her children and grandchildren move.

“We can’t go right now.” Branch frowned and led her quietly towards the panic room. “Guy is in labor.”

Mama Goldie stopped and looked at him with wide eyes. The baby’s timing was very terrible. “Where is he?”

“He is in my panic room. Follow me.” Branch led her towards the room and slowly opened the door. He led her in and walked over to Guy Diamond.

Mama Goldie walked in and walked over to her son. She kneeled and ran her hand over his hair. “I’m going to see if the baby is ready to come now, or if we have time.” She checked and found that the baby wasn’t ready to be born yet. “We have time. I need you all to pack up. We need to head to Troll Village. King Peppy will know what to do.”

Guy Diamond frowned and winced as he sat up. He got up and leaned against the wall. “I’m going to slow everyone down.”

“It’s ok Guy, we will help you.” Sparkle Ruby strapped Jade to her and went to grab supplies and whatever else she could carry that they might need.

Branch didn’t like this. He had worked so hard on this bunker, but he knew staying would mean certain death for his family. He strapped Sweet Pea onto him, and then began packing his backpack.

Mama Goldie helped Guy Diamond to the door. “I will carry you if I need to. It’ll be ok.”

Once they were all packed up, they headed for Troll Village. They had to stop a few times so Guy Diamond could breathe through a contraction. Mama Goldie kept track of how close the contractions were, so that they would know when he needed to stop. She didn’t want to push him. Once they got to Troll Village, Mama Goldie left them to go tell King Peppy their situation.

King Peppy came over and rubbed his chin for a moment. “We will get as far as you can handle Guy Diamond, and then we will camp out for the night when you can no longer handle walking, alright?”

Guy Diamond gave a slow nod, although he was very worried about travelling. He didn’t want anything to happen to him or his baby. He turned to Branch and hugged him. He felt the need to get some reassurance.

Branch smiled softly and hugged him back. “We will get through this Guy, and we will do this all together.”

Sparkle Ruby walked over to King Peppy and asked him what she could do to help. She had trained for things like this, and she wanted to help with whatever was necessary. “What can I do?”

“Right now, I need you to focus on Guy Diamond and keep your pod and family safe. I appreciate your willingness to help, but you risk your unborn pod if you push yourself too far.” King Peppy smiled softly and hugged her before walking over to his flower pod to make sure Princess Poppy was ready.

Once everyone was ready to go, King Peppy began to lead the trolls away from Troll Village. He had told everyone to keep the pace slow so that they didn’t lose track of Guy Diamond and his family. They walked in the opposite direction that the Bergen went.

It was a painfully slow pace. Guy Diamond had to stop during some of his contractions. About an hour in they had to stop for a little while, because he ended up puking. He was staying quiet though, and everyone was surprised at how well he seem to handle the pain. Every time he was asked if they needed to stop and camp out, he shook his head. He wanted to get as far from that Bergen as possible.

They made it another mile, before Mama Goldie asked that they stop and have a little something to eat. She knew the trollings were getting hungry, and she wanted to check on her son. She walked back and stopped in front of Guy Diamond. “How are the contractions?”

“About two minutes apart. I think he is getting close.” Sparkle Ruby helped Guy Diamond sit, and then covered him in a blanket.

Branch sat down and fed the twins. He stayed close to Guy Diamond but was silent. He had been quiet since they left Troll Village. He was very worried about his whole family and didn’t like that they had to leave their home.

Mama Goldie had Guy Diamond lay down. “Rest. I will come check on you again after snack.” She got up and went to help with snacks.

Guy Diamond laid on his side and breathed hard. He was in so much pain, but he didn’t want to attract unwanted attention, so he held back crying out.

Sparkle Ruby sat down by her brother and began humming softly. She wasn’t sure how else to comfort him other then be there for him and hold his hand. During each contraction, he squeezed her hand to let her know it was happening, and for comfort.

Once snack time was over, Mama Goldie walked over and smiled softly. “Can we make it a little further, or are we going to stay here tonight?”

“G-go…” Guy Diamond got up and groaned softly. Sparkle Ruby helped him up and gave him support.

Branch nodded and gave Guy Diamond a gentle back rub in encouragement. He was so worried about him.

Once again, the village walked through the forest. Another half an hour went by, before Guy Diamond stopped and didn’t move. This contraction was particularly harsh. He grimaced and fell to his knees. He couldn’t go any further.

Mama Goldie made her way back to them when she was informed that Guy Diamond had stopped. She got to him and smiled softly. “It’s time to stop for the night…” She knew they were not going to make it any further today.

Guy Diamond was on his hands and knees. He couldn’t hold back yelling anymore. He cried out in agony.

Branch comfort Guy Diamond quietly. He looked worried.

Sparkle Ruby scrambled to grab a blanket. “Mom, his baby is coming right now.” She could see it. She got a blanket out and caught her nephew as he was born. He was sky blue with two tone hair. The bottom was silver, and the top was royal blue. He was a big baby too and healthy. He began to cry right away. She cleaned him up and showed him to Guy Diamond. “You did such a good job…”

Guy Diamond smiled at his son and eased down to the ground. He was so tired and he lost a considerable amount of blood when his son was born. He passed out.

Mama Goldie frowned. It was not normal for a troll to pass out immediately after birth. She rolled him to his back and checked him over. She then pulled out her first aid kit and began taking care of a tear. This was exactly why teen pregnancy wasn’t allowed. There had been too many lives lost because the parent was too young and struggled to give birth. “Hold on son…”

Branch watched with wide eyes. His heart began to pound in his chest. He was scared he would lose Guy Diamond. “Please don’t go…” He whispered.


	24. A Little Miracle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guy Diamond recovers and Sparkle Ruby makes a little discovery.

Sparkle Ruby paced as Mama Goldie worked to save Guy Diamond. She had tears in her eyes. She still had her little nephew tucked in her arms. 

Branch stopped her and pulled her into his arms. He held her and looked down at his son. He was a beautiful little boy and he hoped that he would get to grow up with his daddy Guy.

Mama Goldie finished stitching up Guy Diamond and propped him up with pillows. He was still out cold but was breathing ok. “He should be alright.” She reassured. “He is going to need to rest. We will need to carry him if King Peppy decides to continue.”

Sparkle Ruby sat by Guy Diamond and put his baby on his chest so that the little one had a chance for skin to skin contact.

Branch sat beside Sparkle Ruby and began feeding the twins. They had been calm and had been watching the scenery during the long walk. He was crying but was very quiet about it.

“Are you crying Branch?” Creek walked over and looked at the newborn. He was curious.

Branch frowned and looked away. He wasn’t going to admit that out loud.

“Creek, we need space. Please go play.” Sparkle Ruby stayed close to Guy Diamond and cradled her nephew.

Princess Poppy also came over and smiled when she saw the babies. “Aww…they are so cute.” She cooed at the twins.

Creek took Poppy’s hand. “Let’s go play. They don’t want us bothering them right now.”

“Bye Branch. You have cute babies.” Poppy smiled and skipped away with Creek.

Branch sighed and looked over at Guy Diamond. He was still very worried about him. He grabbed his hand and began to stroke it gently.

“He’s going to be ok Branch.” Sparkle Ruby smiled softly and offered his son to him. “You should feed the newborn. He hasn’t eaten yet, and Guy Diamond won’t be able to for a little bit.”

Branch nodded and took the little bundle. He began to feed him and watched him. “He is bigger then the twins were. Poor Guy…”

“He certainly took today like a champ. I can’t imagine the pain he went through.” Sparkle Ruby took the twins and began changing them.

Guy Diamond began to stir. He woke up and groaned. “Oww…” He shifted and winced.

“Rest, you don’t need to worry about anything right now. We have everything taken care of.” Branch reassured. “You did a great job. We have a beautiful little boy.” He gently handed over their baby boy and smiled softly.

Guy Diamond took his son and held him. “He has beautiful colorings. He sort of looks like Creek with his two tone hair.” He looked at Branch. “I was thinking Skylar.”

“Skylar is a good name.” Branch smiled softly and kissed Guy Diamond. “I am proud of you.”

“We should all get some rest.” Sparkle Ruby got the twins settled and laid down. She was tired. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep.

Branch nodded and snuggled close to Guy Diamond. He kept Skylar between them and soon dozed off. Guy soon fell asleep as well.

During the middle of the night, Sparkle Ruby woke up to a crying trolling. She got up and looked around. She couldn’t see where it was coming from. She listened and began walking towards the crying. She wondered a little way from the group when she came up to where the crying came from. She figured the little one had blend in. “Shh…it’s ok.”

The little trolling showed herself and ran up to Sparkle Ruby. She clung to her and sniffled. “I want my mama…” 

Sparkle Ruby picked the little one up and looked her over. She was not from Troll Village and had unique hair and skin. Her hair was three different shades of purple, and her skin was mostly light blue. She had patches of yellow and purple on her skin as well. It almost looked like she had been playing with paint. She had little glitter freckles, just like Princess Poppy. She looked to be around four or five years old. “Don’t worry, we will find your mama.”

“Big meanie head took her.” She hugged into Sparkle Ruby. Her mother had been eaten by a large fuzzy beast. She didn’t understand that her mama was dead.

“It’ll be ok. Don’t you worry.” Sparkle Ruby headed back. She had a bad feeling she was carrying an orphan. She headed straight to King Peppy and asked him if he recognized the young trolling.

“She isn’t from our village.” King Peppy picked up the little girl and smiled softly. “But we can take her in. If we find her mom while we travel, we will give her back. Don’t worry, I will find her a family to walk with.”

“I will take her.” Sparkle Ruby smiled and took the young trolling from King Peppy.

“You already have your hands full. Guy Diamond just had a baby. Are you sure about this?” King Peppy watched her comfort the young trolling.

“Yes, I am sure. Thank you King Peppy.” Sparkle Ruby walked towards her family. “What is your name little one?”

“Speckle…” She hugged into Sparkle Ruby and sniffled. She was hungry and tired.

“Speckle, I will take care of you until we find your mama ok?” Sparkle Ruby set her down by Branch and began going through his backpack for food.

Branch heard her and woke up. He sat up and yawned. “What’s going on?” He looked over at her and blinked a few times when he saw Speckle. “Ruby, why is there a trolling over here? She needs to go back to her family.”

“Her mom is missing Branch, and King Peppy says she doesn’t come from our village. I told him I would take care of her.” Sparkle Ruby pulled out a berry and gave it to Speckle.

Speckle ate like she hadn’t had food for days. She began to hiccup when she was done. She had eaten a little too fast.

“What?! Oh no no, we have our hands full. We have the twins, and Guy Diamond just had his baby, and you are going to have twins in a few months. That’s five babies. This little one would make six.” Branch shook his head and crossed his arms.

Sparkle Ruby glared at him and crossed her own arms. “I am taking care of her and that’s final!” She picked up Speckle and began trying to clean the paint looking splotches off her skin, but it wasn’t coming off. She looked her over and realized her skin looked like this naturally. “I think I know why you are named Speckle.”

Branch groaned and rubbed his temples. “Fine…” He picked up Skylar and began to feed him. “We are going to be so busy.” He sat and began to think about it. This poor trolling was all alone, just like he was as a young trolling. He shifted closer and pulled Speckle from Sparkle Ruby. “We will take care of you…”

Speckle smiled and hugged into Branch. She liked him, even though he seemed a little cranky.

Branch widened his eyes and hugged her to him. He had to be careful because he still had Skylar tucked in his other arm. His skin began to change to a light teal and his hair a royal blue.

Sparkle Ruby saw him changing. She hugged into him too and kissed his cheek. She wasn’t expecting his gray to go away so suddenly and unexpectedly, but it made her happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Speckle is based off the young trolling that was briefly seen talking to Princess Poppy in the movie, right after Chef attacked the village. Her name is Harper. She is not the same character. She is just based off her.


	25. A New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The village finds a home, and everyone begins the long process of rebuilding.

As day came to the villagers, everyone began to prepare to move on. Guy Diamond was strapped into a litter. He held his son, as villagers took turns carrying him. Mama Goldie didn’t want him walking anymore then he had to. They still had a way to go, and there was no need to risk ripping his stitches.

A small commotion also broke out. Those who never saw Branch’s true colors began to talk about how beautiful his colors were, and those who did remember his colors, mentioned how well he had grown into those colors, since he was a trolling when he went gray. They were all surprised by his appearance.

Branch had Jade on his back today, while Sparkle carried Sweet Pea. He carried Speckle and ignored all the attention he was getting. He was not use to getting so many compliments.

They all travelled another two miles, before they came to a large tree. It looked perfect for the trolls.

Branch caught up with King Peppy and smiled. “This is a great spot, if you are willing to stop. It’s got a lot of coverage, and there are a lot of food and supplies here.” He looked excited. He saw a lot of potential.

King Peppy gave a firm nod. “Yes, we will stop here. This will make a fine home.” He began giving orders to the trolls to help set up camp here.

Branch made his way back to his family and helped Guy Diamond stand up. “How are you feeling?”

“I am alright.” Guy Diamond was still in a considerable amount of pain, but he wasn’t going to admit it. He looked around and smiled. “Looks like a good place to raise a family.”

Sparkle Ruby sat down by a tree and set Sweet Pea on her lap. She was exhausted. She leaned on the tree and sighed tiredly.

Branch set Speckle down and began looking around for a good place to restart a bunker. It needed to be large for their growing family. Speckle followed him quietly. Jade was still with him.

Guy Diamond settled down by Sparkle Ruby and set to work feeding Skylar. “Are you feeling ok sis?”

“Yeah, just tired.” Sparkle Ruby began to doze off.

Branch found a good spot and headed back. Speckle was following him like a little shadow. He got to Sparkle Ruby and Guy Diamond. “I think I found our new home.”

Guy Diamond smiled and then looked at Sparkle Ruby. “I am not sure how much help we can provide right now.”

“It’s alright, I got it. Watch the kids?” Branch set Jade down by Sweet Pea and scooted Speckle towards them. “Stay with Guy Diamond and Sparkle Ruby, ok?”

“I want to be with you.” Speckle turned and hugged into his leg.

Branch smiled softly and picked her up. “Ok, but you will have to work with me, ok?”

Speckle smiled and nodded. She really liked Branch and wanted to help him out.

Branch grabbed a shovel and walked to where he wanted to start his bunker. He set Speckle down. “See the rocks? Pick them up and put them over by that bush, ok? And if you hear or see anything scary, blend in.”

Speckle nodded and grabbed a rock. She picked it up and walked over to the bush. She set it down and then walked over and grabbed another. She continued this process while Branch began to dig.

An hour went by, and Branch decided Speckle needed a break. He walked over and picked her up. She was sitting by the bush. She had arranged the rocks into the shape of a flower. He raised a brow and looked at her. “Impressive…”

Speckle smiled at him and then looked down at her rocks. “Pretty flower…”

“We have an artist. Are you an artist? Yes you are!” Branch grinned and hugged her. “Good job.”

“That was cute.” DJ Suki had been exploring and had found them. She had seen him being sweet to Speckle. “What’s her name?” She walked over and smiled at Speckle.

“Her name is Speckle.” Branch set her down and went back to work.

DJ sat with Speckle and put her head phones on her. “Listen to this.” She turned it own so the little one could listen to the music.

“Pretty music.” Speckle smiled up at DJ.

Branch let them play for a little bit, and when he started to ache, he finished and walked over. “Come on Speckle, let’s go check on everyone.” He put her in his hair so she could rest as he walked towards where he left Sparkle Ruby and Guy Diamond. He soon got to them and smiled, seeing Guy was feeding the twins. “Looks like I was gone too long.”

“Yeah, they were getting hungry.” Guy Diamond smiled. “At least I can help fed them now.”

Sparkle Ruby stirred and groaned. She was sore and dizzy. “Don’t want to go to school…” She said tiredly.

Branch set Speckle down by Guy Diamond and kneeled by Sparkle Ruby. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Not really…” Sparkle Ruby curled up on her side. She definitely felt off.

“What’s wrong?” Branch checked her forehead but didn’t find a fever.

“Dizzy…” Sparkle Ruby snuggled into him and frowned. “Sorry I didn’t help…”

“It is ok. You needed rest. I bet you are hungry. Let’s get you over to camp to get something to eat.” Branch began to help her up.

Sparkle Ruby went to stand up but ended up fainting.

Branch helped her back down. “Ruby?!” He ran towards camp. He needed help.


	26. Three Times The Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch’s family is in for a big surprise. Sparkle Ruby is put on bed rest.

A group of trolls gathered around as Mama Goldie checked Sparkle Ruby over. She managed to get her daughter awake and gave her a raspberry. “You haven’t been eating enough dear.”

Branch was right beside Sparkle Ruby. He was holding her from behind. He looked scared. “Is she going to be ok?”

Sparkle Ruby ate the raspberry and leaned on Branch. She still felt very dizzy. “Sorry mom, I been more worried about the move then food.”

“You are not just eating for yourself. You need to eat more.” Mama Goldie felt Sparkle Ruby’s belly. She wanted to make sure the babies were ok. She soon stopped and looked at Branch, and then back at Sparkle Ruby. “You need to go on bed rest. There are three babies in there.”

“What?!” Branch looked shocked. He suspected twins, not triplets. “Triplets? Is that even possible?!” He had never heard of triplets. Twins were not too uncommon, but triplets were unheard of.

Sparkle Ruby looked at her mom with wide eyes. She was not expecting that either and was not sure about bed rest. She hated holding still. “Triplets?!”

Guy Diamond looked over and smirked. “More to love.” He had been enjoying all the little trollings crawling around and didn’t mind having one more than expected.

“Let’s get you all settled. You should be resting on a bed.” Goldie turned to the group and started asking the others for help.

A few hours went by, and the group had set up a temporary flower pod for Branch and his family. Branch carried Sparkle Ruby into the flower pod and laid her down in bed.

“I could have walked.” Sparkle Ruby grumbled tiredly. She had a feeling he was going to be babying her for the next three months.

“You need to rest. What are you hungry for?” Branch covered her with a blanket and set the twins next to her.

Guy walked in and laid down with Skylar. He kept the babies between him and Sparkle Ruby so they didn’t roll off.

“A cupcake kind of sounds good.” Sparkle Ruby smiled softly. “And I guess something healthy too.”

Branch chuckled and kissed her. “Of course.” He looked at Guy Diamond and kissed him too. “What are you hungry for?”

“I will eat anything you bring me. You know what I like.” Guy Diamond smiled and cradled their son close.

Branch picked up Speckle and set her down by Sparkle Ruby. “Can you take care of them while I am gone?” He smiled at her. Her first day with them had been very busy, so he wanted her to rest.

Speckle nodded and stretched out. She was tired. She snuggled into Sparkle Ruby and began to doze off.

Once everyone was settled, Branch headed out. He was getting tired too, but he wanted to get food for Guy and Ruby. He gathered what Sparkle Ruby wanted, and then grabbed some food that Guy Diamond would have liked. He then headed back. Once back, he set up food and brought it over to them.

Sparkle Ruby sat up and grabbed a cupcake. She began to eat it. She was feeling better now that she had time to rest and eat.

Guy Diamond began to eat too. “Thank you Branch. I think it’s your turn to get some rest.”

Branch ate and then crawled into the new bed. Guy was right, sleep sounded good. He curled up and soon dozed off.

Once the babies and Speckle were taken care of, Guy Diamond and Sparkle Ruby also snuggled in for a good night’s sleep.


	27. A Broken Branch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trolls continue to settle into their homes, and Branch is in an accident.

Another few days went by, and progress on the bunker was going well. Branch had dug out a couple of rooms. He still had a long way to go to get it where he wanted it. He had help too. Speckle was little, but she was able to help quite a bit. Branch had really started to bond with the little trolling and did pretty much everything with her by his side.

Branch had dug in the tunnels in the bunker for a few hours when he decided it was time for a break. He leaned on a tree near the new bunker and yawned. “Nap time Speckle.” He hugged her and then curled up by the tree to take a nap.

Speckle wasn’t tired, so she looked around. She stayed close to Branch, until she heard his stomach growl. She got up and looked at him. He sounded hungry, so she thought she would go find him something to eat. She began looking around, and soon found a tree full of apples. She smiled and began climbing up.

Branch went to snuggle with Speckle subconsciously and didn’t feel her next to him. He sat up and looked around. “Speckle?” He got up and looked around. “Where did that little girl go?” He looked around. “Speckle?!” He called for her. “Where did you go little one?”

Speckle heard him and looked down from the branch she was hanging onto. She smiled and giggled. “I help!”

Branch looked up and saw her in the tree. He frowned and started climbing up the tree. “Hold on Speckle, I will help you down.”

Speckle reached and grabbed an apple. She dropped it to the ground and giggled when it bounced off the ground. 

Branch startled when he heard the thud but looked relieved when he looked up and saw she was still in the tree. He got closer and began moving down the branch she was on.

Speckle reached for another apple. She got a hold of it, but lost grip of the branch. “Uh oh!” She started to fall from the tree.

“Oh no!” Branch jumped and grabbed her. He tucked her close and went to stretch his hair but couldn’t grab a branch in time. He came stumbling down to the ground and got knocked unconscious.

Speckle tumbled out of his arms and came to a stop a few feet away. She got up and looked around for Branch. She had a few scraps, but otherwise was alright. She found him and ran over. “Are you ok?” She couldn’t get an answer from him. She began to wail. She was scared.

Mama Goldie heard Speckle and came running over to investigate. She saw Branch and frowned, noticing he was hurt. She gently rolled him on his back and began checking him over. He had a gash on his head and his leg was broken. She made sure his neck and back were ok. She sighed in relief, finding he hadn’t broken his back or neck. She pulled out supplies from her hair and began wrapping Branch’s head with a gauze wrap. With his head wrapped, she inspected his leg. It was severally broken. She picked him up. She was going to need help to set it. “Follow me Speckle.” She headed towards the new village.

Speckle sniffled and followed her. She didn’t like that Branch was hurt.

Mama Goldie got to camp and set Branch down on the ground. She called out for help and grabbed two sticks. She grabbed some more gauze and got ready to straighten his leg. When a few others came over, she had one pin him down just in case he woke up, another hold Speckle, and another help her with his leg. “Alright, when I say now, straighten his leg.” She grabbed his leg. “Now.” She pulled hard so his leg would straighten. She winced, hearing his bones shift.

Branch woke up screaming in pain. He looked around and went to reach for his leg, but he couldn’t move due to being pinned down. “Speckle?! Is she ok?!”

“Speckle is just fine. You had a bad fall. Hold still please.” Mama Goldie began wrapping his leg.

Branch cringed in pain and groaned. “Is my leg broken?” He had never felt this kind of pain before.

“Yes, it’s badly broken. You are going to have to keep off it for several weeks, so it can heal.” Mama Goldie got it wrapped up and looked up at him. “You also bumped your head.”

Branch cursed and put his hand on his head. He pulled back and saw that there was blood on his hand. “Great…”

Guy Diamond had heard the screaming and had left Sparkle Ruby to see what was going on. He came up and frowned. “What happened?!”

“Branch fell out of a tree. He broke his leg and hit his head.” Mama Goldie gently picked Branch up. “Let’s get him set in bed. He will need to stay off his leg for a few weeks. It was badly broken.”

Branch yelped when he was picked up and grumbled as he got carried. He didn’t like this at all.

Guy Diamond grabbed Speckle’s hand and followed his mom. He looked concerned. All three of them were now going to be down for a while. “Mom, what are we going to do now? I can’t lift, Sparkle is on bed rest, and now Branch has a broken leg.”

“I’ll have other trolls help you three out. I will help too. It’ll be alright. We will handle this like the family we are.” Mama Goldie smiled at him and then went to their flower pod. She opened it and set Branch down in the bed.

“What happened?” Sparkle Ruby sat up in the bed and looked Branch over.

“Speckle was in a tree and I saved her. Hurt myself in the process.” Branch crossed his arms and grumbled.

Guy Diamond looked down at Speckle and frowned. “You need to be more careful, ok little one?”

Speckle nodded and crawled up into the bed. She snuggled up to Branch and frowned. “Sorry…”

“It’s ok little one. You just scared me. I am glad you are not hurt.” Branch hugged her and sighed.

Sparkle Ruby frowned. “I can’t be on bed rest. I need to help.” She stood up and walked over to comfort Branch.

“You! Sit and stay!” Branch went to get up and yelped when he felt a sharp pain in his leg.

“You both need to sit and stay! You will get help. Lay down and rest. I only want you getting up to eat and go to the bathroom. You will get help with the trollings.” Mama Goldie helped them both back into bed.

Guy Diamond sat down at the side of the bed. He knew how stubborn Branch and Sparkle Ruby were. This was going to be a disaster.

Once they were all settled, Mama Goldie left. She had other things to tend to. She promised she would check in frequently.

Guy Diamond and Sparkle Ruby settled in for a nap, but Branch was in too much pain to sleep. He watched the babies and Speckle. He was trying to think of what he could do while stuck in bed.

A half an hour went by when Jade woke up. She scrunched up her face and began to fuss. Speckle heard her and walked over to the cradle. She reached in and picked her up. “I help…”

“Speckle! No put her down!” Branch went to get up and yelped. His leg was throbbing.

Sparkle Ruby startled awake and looked around. She saw Speckle with Jade and smiled softly. “Let her help Branch, she is being a big girl.”

Speckle walked over and gave Jade to Branch. She smiled up at him. She had the best intentions in mind and wanted to be a big girl and help out.

Branch’s eye twitched as he watched Speckle carry his two-month-old daughter. He was very nervous and didn’t like it. He was relieved when she made it over and handed him Jade. “Thank you Speckle.” He sighed and began feeding Jade.

“Relax Branch.” Sparkle Ruby reached over and put her hand over his hand. “Jade is just fine, isn’t she?”

Speckle walked over to the cradle and looked in. Sweet Pea and Skylar were snuggled up to each other. She waited for them to wake up so she could help more.

“What if she drops them?” Branch looked at Sparkle Ruby.

“I trust her.” Sparkle Ruby smiled softly and stroked his hand. “She is not a baby Branch. I’ve seen other trollings carry around babies before. It’ll be alright.”

Branch sighed and looked over at Speckle. “What about Skylar? He was just born a few days ago. His neck isn’t stable yet.”

“He’s light enough, I should be able to handle picking him up when he cries. Guy Diamond can help too. Relax…” Sparkle Ruby smiled softly. She knew he was protective and appreciated that. He just needed to have more confidence in little Speckle.

“Alright, fine.” Branch finished feeding Jade and let her lay on his chest. He wanted snuggle time with his baby girl. “As long as the babies don’t get hurt, I will allow it…”


	28. Bunker 2.0

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the help of the village, Branch’s new bunker gets done.

Another month went by, and Guy Diamond began helping with the new bunker. While Branch and Sparkle Ruby rested, he helped coordinate. Once he was able to, he also helped dig. The babies were getting bigger, and Speckle helped as much as possible. Everything was going great.

Branch’s leg was starting to fill better, and he began to walk around with a cane. He still took it easy though. He needed to be careful, so he didn’t rebreak it.

Sparkle Ruby was getting very round. She still had just under two months left of her pregnancy and was already getting uncomfortable. She also hated holding still. She knew her brother was working hard, and Branch did a majority of the feedings and changing for the babies. She wanted to help so bad.

As preparations with the bunker came to an end, Guy Diamond helped Branch to the bunker. He opened it up and helped inside. “I tried to make it look like your old bunker, but it has a few extra rooms. I hope you like it.” He began showing him around.

Branch limped around as they went room to room. He was pleased. “You did a great job Guy.” When they finished looking around, he gave him a hug. “Did you thank everyone who helped?”

“Yes, of course.” Guy Diamond hugged him and smiled. “We can start moving our family in as soon as you are ready.”

“Alright, let’s get started then.” Branch smiled and headed for the entrance.

They both walked together to the flower pod, and went in. Branch set by Sparkle Ruby. “The bunker is done. Are you ready to move into our new home?”

Sparkle Ruby sat up and nodded. “I am ready.” She got up and stretched out. “And I am walking this time.” She smirked at him. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“Alright, but right into bed when we get there.” Branch grinned and picked up Sweet Pea. He put her in his hair. “Hold still little one.” He grabbed Jade and set her by her twin.

Speckle looked up from her drawing and smiled. She got up and handed it to Branch. It was a drawing of her and their little family.

“Aww, that’s so cute.” Guy Diamond smiled as he gazed at the drawing. “That will have to go on the fridge.” He walked to the cradle and picked Skylar up.

“Thank you Speckle. Take Ruby’s hand ok? We are going to go to our new home.” Branch headed out the flower pod and slowly made his way towards the new bunker.

Sparkle Ruby, Speckle, and Guy Diamond walked with him. The pace was slow but steady. They soon arrived and went in.

Branch led Sparkle Ruby to the bed and had her lay down. “You, sit and stay.” He kissed her and then set the twins beside her.

Sparkle Ruby bopped him gently on the nose. “I don’t want to sit and stay.” She smiled and laid down on her side. She snuggled with the twins.

Guy Diamond set Skylar in the cradle and went to put the drawing on the fridge.

Speckle looked around. She had a crayon in her hand, and already had ideas of how she would decorate. She walked to a wall and began to draw. She worked on the wall for about half an hour before she was caught by Branch.

“Oh no, Speckle stop.” Branch limped over and frowned, seeing she had been very busy with her crayon. He groaned and took her hand. “Let’s draw on paper from now on, ok?” He led her to her bedroom.

Speckle nodded and walked with him. They got into her room and she looked around. She saw lots of paper and crayons. She grinned and ran over to them. She sat down and began to draw again.

Branch smiled softly, and then walked back over to the wall. He sighed and decided it could stay for now. She had made cute drawings. 

Their family settled down nicely into the new bunker. It may not have been their first home, but it was home sweet home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what Speckle drew for Branch. It includes the whole family to this point.
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/kittyrosebud/art/Speckle-drawing-773123444


	29. A Beautiful Birth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sparkle Ruby gives birth to her triplets, and their family is amazed at how beautiful they are.

It was no secret that Ruby was a beautiful troll, and now that everyone knew what color Branch was, they knew the babies were going to be beautiful too. A month and a half went by and Ruby was drawing close to her due date. Branch and Guy Diamond made preparations for the triplets. Sparkle Ruby was rarely left alone anymore.

Sparkle Ruby had become restless and started getting out of bed more. She wanted to make sure the bunker was prepared for her babies. Branch insisted she stay in bed. Sometimes she listened, but today, she was in no mood to be bossed around. She was up and cleaning the kitchen.

Branch saw her in the kitchen and walked over to her. “Come on Ruby, I will clean the kitchen. Please go rest. You are not due for another couple of weeks.”

“I’m cleaning the kitchen! Go away!” Ruby snapped. She scrubbed the oven and grumbled. Her nesting instincts had kicked in, and she didn’t want to just lay around the bunker all day.

“I will get it. Come on, let’s go back to bed.” Branch grabbed her hand gently. “Do it for the babies?”

“I am cleaning for the babies!” Sparkle Ruby growled and moved her hand away from him. She wasn’t going to be convinced today. Once she was done with the oven, she moved to clean the counters.

Branch frowned and sighed. He went to work helping her clean up. If he wasn’t going to convince her to go to bed, he was going to at least help her.

Sparkle Ruby grumbled as she finished the counters. She waddled to the bathroom and shut the door.

Branch soon finished in the kitchen, and then headed for the bathroom. Sparkle Ruby had been in there longer then normal. He knocked on the door. “Are you ok in there?”

“I’m alright.” Sparkle Ruby cleaned up, and saw she was bleeding. She washed her hands and walked out. “I’m going to go lay down.” She went to bed and laid down.

Branch sat by her and kissed her forehead. “Tired?” He had a feeling she wasn’t going to be able to last long cleaning up.

“Yeah, tired.” Sparkle Ruby put her hand on his hand. “Where is Guy Diamond?”

“He took the babies and Speckle for a walk.” Branch smiled softly. “He probably got trapped at the village. You know how everyone loves looking at the babies.”

“You know that is going to get worse.” Sparkle Ruby smiled softly. She felt a contraction and set her hand on her belly.

“Yeah, I know.” Branch noticed her hand go on her belly. “Are the babies kicking? Or is it something else?” He remembered he went into labor early too and was worried about her.

“I think it was a kick?” Sparkle Ruby wasn’t sure, and she certainly didn’t want Branch to panic and she had been extra uncomfortable all day. She shifted and sighed. “I’m hungry. Can I have a carrot?”

“We don’t have any.” Branch frowned and sighed. “I can go find one for you though. Are you going to be ok?”

Sparkle Ruby nodded and smiled at him. “I will be fine. I promise I will stay in bed.”

Branch kissed her cheek. “Alright, stay here. I will be back as fast as I can.” He headed out the door and began looking for carrots.

Sparkle Ruby shifted and laid on her side. She put her hand on her swollen belly and grimaced. She realized what was going on and frowned. “Branch? Are you still here?” She sat up and looked around. “He better hurry back.” She got up and grabbed a few blankets. She then laid back down and hugged onto a pillow.

Branch soon found carrots and picked a few. He began to head back when he decided to get her cupcakes too. She had been craving those during her pregnancy, and he wanted to make her happy. He headed for the new Troll Village.

A half an hour had gone by since Branch left to get carrots. Ruby felt pressure and cringed in pain. “Come on Branch, where are you?” She breathed. During the next contraction, she felt a baby being born. She gasped and reached down. She grabbed him and began cleaning him up with one of the blankets. He was a violet colored glitter baby with royal blue hair. “Come on baby, breathe…” She was having trouble getting him to cry. A sense of panic filled her. She was alone, and she was scared that her first baby was going to die.

Branch got back to the bunker and came in. He went straight for the bedroom to give Sparkle Ruby her food. He came in to her trying to revive their baby. “Oh no!” He hurried over and helped her with their son. A few pats on his back got him crying.

“What the hell took you so long?!” Sparkle Ruby was crying. The first triplet had scared her. She was half angry and half scared.

“Sorry Ruby, I thought you would want some cupcakes. If I had known, I wouldn’t have left.” Branch stimulated the little one. He had scared them both.

Sparkle Ruby groaned and buried her face into her pillow. She could feel the next baby coming. “It hurts.” She grasped the pillow and began to cry out in pain.

Branch frowned and rubbed her back. “You are doing a good job. You can do this mama.”

“You did this to me!” Ruby growled at him and then screamed as the second baby was born.

Branch saw the little one emerging. He set their firstborn down and caught the second born. It was a little girl. She was a glitter baby with lilac colored skin and red hair. He cleaned her up, like he had seen Sparkle Ruby do before when he and Guy Diamond had their babies. She began to cry. “She is so pretty Ruby, look.” He showed her. “You are doing a great job.”

Sparkle Ruby breathed and looked at her daughter. She was a beautiful shade. “She is very cute.” She groaned and grasped onto the pillow.

Branch set their daughter by their son and soothed Sparkle Ruby. He felt bad for not being there for her when she had the first baby, but he was glad he came back in time to help her with the other two. “One more baby. You can do this.”

Sparkle Ruby grabbed his hand and squeezed hard. She breathed, feeling the third baby come.

Branch grabbed her and began to clean her. She was red with purple hair. She began to cry. He smiled and showed her to her mama. “Good job mama.”

Guy Diamond came back to the bunker and ran towards the bedroom. He heard newborns crying. He had left the twins, Skylar, and Speckle with Mama Goldie so she could babysit for a little while. “She’s having them now?!”

“I just had them.” Sparkle Ruby shifted and cradled her first two. She sat up and let them feed.

“She had the first one alone. I didn’t know.” Branch looked guilty. He held the third born and cradled her close.

“They came fast.” Guy Diamond looked at his nieces and nephew. “Oh wow, they are so cute! Their colors are amazing.”

“They are very cute.” Sparkle Ruby finished feeding the first two, and gave the first one to Branch, and her second born to Guy Diamond. She took the third born and began to feed her. “Five girls, and two boys.” She smiled softly. She was tired now. She finished feeding the third born and snuggled with her. “I love you Branch…”

“I love you too Ruby. You did amazing.” Branch took the third born and sat beside her. “Do you have ideas for names?”

“Hmm, how about Topaz, Amethyst, and Holly?” Sparkle Ruby sighed tiredly.

“They sound like great names. Get some rest. I will have dinner ready when you wake up.” Branch kissed her, and then set the triplets in the cradle. He walked with Guy Diamond out of the room so Sparkle Ruby could rest. He was very proud of her.

“Thank you Branch. You are an amazing dad.” Sparkle Ruby closed her eyes and slowly drift off.


	30. Their Worm Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Speckle brings home a baby worm and scares her family. Creeks expresses jealousy over one of Branch and Sparkle Ruby’s babies.

Two months had passed since the triplets were born. Speckle had started school and was gone for a good portion of the day. This left time for Branch, Guy Diamond, and Sparkle Ruby to bond with their babies without having to worry what Speckle was up to.

Speckle loved school and was a fast learner. It quickly became clear that she was closer to six years old, instead of the suspected four or five. She was just short for her age. She had lost her first tooth just days earlier, and Sparkle Ruby declared that that would be her celebrated day of birth, even though no one knew what day she was born.

She had already gone off to go to school for the day. Branch packed up the triplets. He was going to take them into the village today for a checkup. Amethyst and Holly were doing great, but Topaz had fallen a little behind in growth and development. He wanted to make sure his son had the best chance to catch back up. He got them set to go and kissed Guy Diamond and Sparkle Ruby good bye. “I will be back in a little bit.”

“Are you sure you can handle them alone?” Sparkle Ruby yawned. “We can come with you.”

“No, it’s ok. Someone needs to be home when Speckle comes home from school. Besides this is a chance to bond with them.” Branch smiled and hugged her. “See you soon.” He headed out the door.

“Stay safe.” Sparkle Ruby watched him walk off with the triplets. It was really the first time she hadn’t been there with them, and it felt very weird. She got up and went to check on Sweet Pea, Jade, and Skylar.

Sweet Pea and Jade had Skylar sandwiched between them. Skylar had grown considerably, and was about the same size as they were, even though he was two months younger. She smiled and sat down. She began to draw them. She loved to draw the babies. It had helped her keep sane when she was on bed rest. When she finished, she went to put the drawing away.

Speckle came home from school. She had a baby worm with her. She had found it during a field trip. She wanted to keep her because she saw Biggie with one and she really liked Mr. Dinkles. She went to the crib and looked in on the twins and Skylar. She set the worm down in there, and then went to go put her back pack away.

Sparkle Ruby returned to change the babies, when she saw the worm. She let out a blood curdling scream, as memories of the events eight months prior came back.

Guy Diamond had been napping, until Sparkle Ruby screamed. He scrambled out of bed and ran towards her. “What is wrong?!” He saw the worm and quickly grabbed it out of the crib.

“Where the hell did it come from?!” Sparkle Ruby picked up Skylar and hurried to go give him a bath. He was the most likely to be in danger if it was poisonous due to being a normal baby.

Skylar looked up at his aunt and cooed. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he loved being held by her. She was his favorite.

Speckle returned and reached out her hands towards Guy Diamond. “Can I have Missy back? Please?” She had a big smile on her face. She had no idea since she had not been there during the worm crisis.

“You brought this worm home? Where did you find it?!” Guy Diamond looked the worm over and tried to think of how Branch had tested Mr. Dinkles. It looked like a normal worm, but he needed to be cautious for their babies.

“I found it in a nest. There were three others. This one was the prettiest!” Speckle made grabby hands. She wanted her worm back.

“You can’t just bring pets home and give them to the babies, ok? You need to check with an adult first.” Guy Diamond walked over to the new laboratory and set the worm in a basket. “Branch needs to check her first to make sure she is safe, and then you may have her back.”

Speckle hung her head. She wanted her worm, but she didn’t want to upset Guy either. “Ok…” She smiled up at him. “If she is safe, can I keep her?”’

“We will talk about that after Branch tests her, ok?” Guy Diamond picked up the twins and joined Sparkle Ruby for bath time. He wasn’t taking any chances.

Meanwhile, back at Troll Village, the triplets were given a clean bill of health. Branch was told to give Topaz extra feedings and a little more attention until he caught up. He seemed fine, so they were not entirely sure why he had fallen behind.

As Branch headed home, he was stopped by Princess Poppy. She hadn’t seen the triplets yet. She began to fuss over them and complimented at how cute they were. She was especially impressed by Amethyst. Amethyst was a very beautiful shade of lilac. She looked like a little flower, and was starting to smile, which added extra cuteness. “This one is so pretty Branch. What is her name?”

“Her name is Amethyst.” Branch sat down and let Poppy fuss over the babies. He didn’t seem to mind.

Creek heard Poppy cooing over Amethyst and walked over. He looked at her and frowned. She was a more brilliant shade of lilac then he was. He crossed his arms and frowned. He still thought he looked better.

“Look Creek, aren’t they pretty? This one has a pretty purple skin tone just like you, but with glitter!” Poppy bopped Amethyst on the nose and giggled when she smiled.

“Yeah…” Creek sighed and turned his back to them.

“Are you jealous of a baby Creek?” DJ Suki asked as she came walking over. Juniper was with her. They both began to coo over the babies.

“Of course not!” Creek lied. He didn’t like that anyone else was prettier then him. He liked being a handsome trolling.

Branch raised a brow and watched him. He wasn’t sure what that was all about, but he had several years before he really had to worry about Amethyst and her pretty skin tones and glitter. “Alright, that’s enough. I need to head home.” He smiled softly and headed for the bunker with the triplets.

Poppy turned to Creek and hugged him. “You are not jealous, are you? She is pretty but not as pretty as you.”

Creek blushed and hugged Poppy. They were still too young to be in a serious relationship, but there was some obvious puppy love going on between them. “Thank you Poppy.”

Branch soon arrived home and got the triplets inside. He looked around, sensing tension. “Guy? Ruby? What’s going on?”

“Speckle brought home a worm.” Ruby walked over to him and took the triplets. “It’s in the laboratory. Can you please go make sure it’s safe?”

“Yeah, of course.” Branch went to his laboratory and began testing the worm. She was negative for toxins and poisons. He brought her back out and looked around for Speckle. He found her in her room. “Hey kiddo, do you want this worm for a pet?”

“Yes!” Speckle ran over to him and hugged into his leg. “Thank you so much daddy!” She realized what she said and looked up at him, unsure if that was the right thing to say.

“You are very welcome.” Branch gave her the worm, and then pulled her into a hug. “And if you want to call me daddy, that is ok with me.” He stood up and headed out of her room.

“I love you!” Speckle smiled wide and went to put her pet on her bed. She was a very happy trolling.

“I love you too, Speckle.” Branch smiled and went over to talk to Guy Diamond and Sparkle Ruby. “The worm is safe. I gave it back to Speckle. She called me daddy.” He smiled at them. It felt good that he had made enough of an impact in Speckle’s life, that she had decided to adopt him as her daddy. It really gave him a sense of a turn around after spending most of his youth alone.

“She did? She is so sweet. It’s hard to believe she has been with us for four months. I guess she is here to stay.” Guy Diamond kissed and hugged Branch.

“You are a good daddy Branch. I am proud of you.” Sparkle Ruby kissed him. She then went to tend to the triplets. They were starting to fuss.

Branch had a huge smile on his face. He felt like he was on top of the world. The bad worms were gone, he had children, and even had a pet now to take care of. He could only see life getting better from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to end this on a good note. Hope those who have followed my story have enjoyed it. I may pick up on this later, but I think it is a good end to their story. One big and happy family.


End file.
